Major industries in the city include:

• Copeland Corporation (Compressors)
• The Trane Company (A/C Systems)
• INTAT Precision Casting
• Fujitsu Ten America, Inc. (Electronics)

Rushville also boasts forty acres of beautifully maintained parks, a $1.2 million dollar outdoor aquatic facility, and an open-air amphitheater.

Claims to Fame
The city is not without its celebrities. There are two individuals of note who have claimed Rushville as their home. Wendall L. Willkie was the Republican candidate for President of the United States in 1940. Rushville served as his campaign headquarters. He died in 1944 and his place of burial is Rushville's East Hill Cemetery. Rushville also claims NASCAR driver Tony Stewart as one of their own. In town he was known as the "Rushville Rocket."

Police Department Serves and Protects in Many Ways
The Rushville Police Department, led by Chief Tony Fudge, is a combined department of full-time personnel and reserves. These personnel provide protection and security in a variety of ways to their community. One program is known as Operation Pull Over. This public information and enforcement campaign aims to reduce impaired driving and increase seat belt use in the city. The campaign is structured as four quarterly blitzes, or waves of education and awareness, each year.

Each blitz consists of four weeks of intense public awareness followed by two weeks of increased enforcement.

To protect the 40-acres of parks in Rushville, the department has worked closely with the Parks Department to create a Parks Patrol program.

Reserve Personnel Provide Valuable Support
Chief Fudge emphasizes the importance of his reserve personnel. "Without these guys, we wouldn't be able to operate," he states. The department's ten reserves handle security for all high school sporting events, parades, the county fair, festivals, and concerts.

Departmental Goals
The chief has realized many of his goals since taking office in 2000. These have included random drug testing for his officers and dispatchers, the transition from Smith and Wesson to Glock handguns, the purchase of exercise equipment for use at the station, and the implementation of a medical evaluation program for his full-time personnel.

Rushville Fire Chief Kent Clark, was instrumental in motivating the police chief to provide a medical evaluation program. His own fire department physicals revealed significant health issues in several fire fighters.

"A medical evaluation program is very important to me personally and I want to make sure my men are OK," emphasized Chief Fudge.

The chief believes that other law enforcement agencies should consider implementing a medical evaluation program. "It is important for their own peace of mind that they're doing everything they can to make sure their personnel are as healthy as they can be. This will translate into less sick days and many other important benefits," states the chief.

Click here for the Rushville Police Department newsletter article.

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© 2006 Public Safety Medical Services