ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. — An Indiana sheriff is seeking to fire a corporal for immoral conduct after multiple complaints about inappropriate comments he made about deadly force, WPTA reported.
Allen County Sheriff Troy Hershberger filed the request with the Allen County Sheriff Merit Board on Sept. 28 to terminate Cpl. Ben Fries after complainants accused Fries of making inappropriate comments and jokes about officer-involved shootings.
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Fries is the son of current county councilmember and former sheriff Ken Fries, WPTA reported. Fries joined the department in 201, and was added to the SWAT team and promoted to corporal in 2021.
Hershberger listed four disciplinary charges in his appeal. The first complaint listed was an Aug. 2026 comment Fries made while speaking with other officers in a restaurant.
The complainant in the incident reported that Fries said, “I haven’t shot anyone with my new Glock, yet.” Six of 10 officers present during the incident confirmed they heard the comment, with one officer reporting feeling so uncomfortable that he got up and left the table, WPTA reported.
In response to the complaint, Fries stated that the comment was “shop talk” and was a joke, but agreed that it was inappropriate.
The second complaint alleged that in May 2026, during a SWAT training operation, Fries told several other team members to “come to second shift if you want to get into a shooting and you’ll get some time off,” WPTA reported.
Documentation indicated that another SWAT member responded, “Who the f*** wants to shoot somebody?”
Fries then allegedly responded, “Who doesn’t? Like the new guys,” and pointed to other SWAT members.
The member reported the incident, saying the comments were especially troubling because new SWAT members were present. Fries told investigators he didn’t remember making the comment and may have meant to warn new members that the second shift was the most dangerous.
The third complaint was filed in 2025 by an officer who had been in an officer-involved shooting and was speaking with Fries during a SWAT training conference dinner.
Fries allegedly stated, “At least I killed my guy.”
The complainant stated that he was so upset by the comment that he left the dinner, WPTA reported. Fries stated he had no memory of the dinner and denied making the statement.
The final complaint came from a civilian after a National Night Out event, alleging that Fries was explaining ammunition types to a group that included children. He reportedly explained the difference between which types of ammunition would go through a person and which types would “tumble inside a person.”
Fries told investigators that he did not remember making the comments but did recall that there was a discussion about ammunition types.
“Due to Cpl. Fries’ alleged unbecoming and immoral conduct, statements about violence, future liability to the Department due to his statements, and reported issues and concerns made by multiple co-workers, Sheriff Hershberger requests the Allen County Sheriff Merit Board dismiss Cpl. Fries as a member of the Allen County Sheriff’s Department,” Hershberger stated in the filing.
If the dismissal moves forward, Fries will face a public hearing before the review board.
