Eric Knox
Benton County Sheriff
Hello Benton County, neighboring counties, and folks all over. I am humbled to find out how many of the thousands of followers read my dispatches and how far outside our beautiful county, they reach. I am happy to announce that some of those folks are law enforcement officers who also like what we are doing here in Benton County and want to be a part of a Constitutional agency who applies common sense and heart along with statute, and above all, a community that supports and appreciates their law enforcement! We are peacekeepers before we are enforcement officers.
We have hired three outstanding, experienced LE to start filling in our ranks. We have another veteran coming our way who seems to be of the same caliber. The staff will interview him on the 14th. We have four more citizens who are tired of the way things are! They are going to the part time POST training academy while continuing to work a regular job. I commend these people for stepping up to make a difference in their community!
I spoke with one of our citizens recently who came by the office concerned that I was not going to run for re-election. I have since heard the same rumor multiple times, so I want to set that straight. I plan on being your humble servant as long as you will allow me the honor, serving you as long as my views and beliefs are the same as yours. If I start to stray from what it is you hold dear, then it is time for a new sheriff.
My work here is not done. One of the things on my to do list is to see the creation of a much-needed animal shelter. Our furry family needs us to stand up for them and find a humane answer to the suffering of so many dogs and cats, not to mention the issue we have as law enforcement. Dog bites with no place to quarantine, detainees arrested after traffic stops with animals in the car and abandoned pets left to die a miserable, lonely death after someone moves from their residence are all problems we see on a regular basis.
I ask you to talk among yourselves and start a conversation about a new shelter. How do we pay for it? How do we maintain it financially? Where do we put it, and maybe the biggest question of all, would it be a shelter that would euthanize or one that doesn’t?
I would like to hear from some of the citizens I have visited with over the past years. There are a lot of people who have already put much thought into this very important issue. Just a reminder, I do not do business through Facebook. I use Facebook to reach out to you so you stay informed and in the name of transparency but don’t respond to messages through that platform. Please, stop by the office, call me at 660-438-6135 ext. 3 or email me at eric.knox@bentoncomo.com to get the conversation started. Thank you for your well wishes and all the support I see as I move throughout our county. Remember, be aware of your surroundings, be good to your neighbors and stay vigilant. Together, we will overcome the evil that exist among us!
Sheriff Knox
