Hobart police corporal Mike Gallagher faces three charges stemming from an off-duty disturbance on August 14 in the 1300-block of Jackson Street. ABC7 Chicago, citing Police Chief Garrett Ciszewski, reported charges of battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony; battery resulting in bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor; and operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor.
The reported account describes a disturbance involving multiple people and says the Lake County Sheriff’s Department handled the investigation. The charges are allegations, not findings of guilt. The publicly reported details do not describe the alleged acts or explain the circumstances behind the OWI charge.
The leave decision and city discipline are distinct
Gallagher was initially placed on paid administrative leave and moved to unpaid leave after the charges were filed, ABC7 reported. The City of Hobart employee handbook says police officers are subject to disciplinary policies and procedures adopted by the Board of Public Works & Safety and prescribed by state law. That employment framework is separate from the criminal allegations; the leave change itself is not a finding on those charges.
Indiana also has a separate certification process
Indiana’s Law Enforcement Training Board has authority to revoke, suspend, modify or restrict an officer’s law-enforcement certificate for specified reasons, according to the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. The listed grounds include certain conduct even when an officer is not criminally charged. Certification action is a separate process from a criminal case and city employment discipline; the existence of Gallagher’s charges does not establish an outcome in either oversight process.
