Sheriff Touts Importance of Community Safety

By Amelia Painter

Sheriff Randy Krukow has been in law enforcement for 29 years and when he was first elected in 2001, he became the 25^th Sheriff of Clay County since 1859.  With only eight deputies, he and his fellow officers patrol 576 square miles 24/7. Other contemporary law enforcement professionals might find this task overwhelming, but our Sheriff puts an emphasis on prevention through community involvement and other service-oriented activities in addition to traditional enforcement of local and State laws. He knows that “99% of the people out there care” what happens in their community.

It was this sense of caring that prompted Connie Baschke, owner of Connie’s Bed & Breakfast in Fostoria, to work with other concerned citizens and ask Sheriff Krukow to speak with residents of Fostoria on various law enforcement issues.

The large turn-out at Fostoria’s City Hall and the high degree of citizen support shown for

 Krukow is a testament to the dedicated men and women who work day in and day out to 

establish relationships with residents in Clay County communities.  Krukow says, it is these

 type of “supportative relationships between citizens and the Sheriff’s Department” that make

it possible for officers and community residents to work together to promote community safety."

Perhaps the most widely recognized program that Krukow has to offer rural communities is Neighborhood Watch. Krukow says that “small towns are unique in that they already tend to look out for neighbors.”  So the Neighborhood Watch program is a perfect fit for our Clay County towns. Peterson and Royal have already worked with Krukow to set-up effective Neighborhood Watch programs.

According to Krukow, the actual cost of a deputy, after calculating all the factors that must be considered, is $26 per hour. Fact: law enforcement is expensive. This is where a citizen-based program like Neighborhood Watch can play a supportive role in a community’s struggle to keep public safety a priority. 

Clay County is faced with a “scurge of drugs” and according to Krukow, the Sheriff’s Department is “taking an aggressive approach.”  All Fostoria residents listened intensely as Krukow gave a graphic and disturbing description of how Meth is created with a variety of toxic chemicals easily found around most homes.  Again, a Neighborhood Watch program was referred to as one way a community can become informed and actively assist in the local war on drugs.

According to Krukow, “the number one reason that officers don’t get things [crimes] solved is because people don’t call” when they feel a suspicious act is occurring or if they are eye-witnesses to an actual crime in progress.  If we want our communities to remain safe havens for ourselves and our children, we must take an active role in reporting suspicious behavior or crimes we believe to be taking place around us.  

On the topic of curfews, I’m afraid I must agree with the Sheriff when he says, “curfews only work as good as the parents” who ultimately bare the responsibility of enforcing them.  It is up to us, as parents, to monitor our children and place real consequences upon them when they break curfew ordinances and rules.

Because of a recent local ordeal with a potentially dangerous skunk in town, the subject of who to call with wild life issues arouse.  Krukow says, “that DNR is responsible for wild life” and should be called in most cases, however, when a citizen’s life may be in danger the Sheriff’s Department might be the most sensible call to make.  Audience member, Mark Baschke, pointed out that a local “Critter-Getter” may also be an option to consider when faced with a non-critical wild life situation.

If you are concerned about the quality of life and safety in your community, join Sheriff Krukow and become a part of the solution – as you can tell from this article, he has made a believer out of me.  Sheriff Krukow can be reached at (712) 262-3221. 

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