Hello Benton County,
It has always been my way to keep you informed, a measure some appreciate, and some criticize me for. I am informing you that we are operating with half of the staff we need to be effective. The honest statement is, if you call 911, we may not be able to be there, currently we are forced to take the calls in order of life safety. For instance, if your being shot at by your neighbor, that would take precedence over some fellas fist fighting down at the watering hole. Simple assault, verbal domestics, suspicious vehicles, suspicious subjects, things that go bump in the night, noise complaints, smashed mailboxes, well you get the idea. We may not be able to be there; it is physically impossible to cover over all 740 square miles with half the people.
We have a total of 16 road positions, and we are down eight deputies. Recently we lost some senior staff with over 28 years of experience combined. The staff that has left is getting out of law enforcement and taking up employment in non-law enforcement careers. This is a trend that is happening across America, not just Benton County. If you watch the news, you already know it’s not a popular time to be in law enforcement.
We start new deputies at $20 per hour now, that helps but it’s not enough. We need to change the county’s retirement system to LAGERS and have better health insurance for our employees. ($1,100 per month for a family) I turn away candidates every year from larger agencies who are tired of the city life and own lake properties here in Benton County. They can afford to work here after years of better pay, they just can’t afford to lose their quality retirement. Most law enforcement agencies have LAGERS retirement system and can’t work for us due to the fact they can’t continue their retirement. I am working to try to present the opportunity for the LAGERS retirement system to Benton County, not only for my staff, but for all county employees.
Believe it or not, all the crazy that goes on outside our county borders does eventually affect us in one way or another. The illegals pouring across our borders will eventually find their way here, bringing their crime and issues. The drugs have already found their way here. The passing of Amendment 3 in all its wisdom. Remember, I’m not against the use of marijuana in your own home, what you do is your business. I was, and still am against the way Amendment 3 is written and all the extra that is detrimental to our way of life! Take the time to read all 38 pages, you should be as scared as I am. The language in this amendment has hampered our ability to reach Methamphetamine, Fentanyl and other deadly street drugs, as well as increasing the amount of impaired drivers passing you on our roads.
Someone visited the office recently who was very upset because of a nest of thieves living on their road. We know who they are, and we have been picking them off as the opportunities present themselves. Our efforts were not good enough or fast enough to satisfy this individual. When it was explained to him, we were eight short and that violent crimes were up, he stated that wasn’t his problem. Not quite in those words, but I cannot repeat the actual statement. He went on to say that’s what he paid his taxes for and demanded service.
Folks, I’m not ranting here. I’m leading up to a truth here in your county. THIS OFFICE BELONGS TO YOU! Everything that goes on in this county and within this office IS YOUR PROBLEM. You allowed me the privilege to manage your office, bring in my business sense, passion, and transparency but at the end of the day, it’s all OUR problem. Please don’t forget that all public offices belong to YOU! At the end of the day, there are only so many licensed peace officers willing to do this line of work under the conditions that our society has allowed to stand. We are in trouble, fellow Americans! Band together, take care of one another. There is power in numbers. Get involved and be aware of your surroundings.
Speaking of transparency, some folks that have limited knowledge of their sheriff’s office, are saying that “Sheriff Knox changed the radios and got rid of scanner land.” The truth is, I had nothing to do with the radio change, but I support it 100%. I love the communities’ input and many times, it’s a citizen with a scanner that helps us find the bad guy!
The problem is, the antiquated radio system from the eighties, only worked in certain areas of the county, leaving my staff with no ability to communicate when outside that range. As much as I love sharing our days and nights with you, the safety of my staff is more important. As always, my door is always open to you, I welcome your questions and suggestions.
Sheriff Knox
