Scott County Sheriff: Rick Walter

Name Rick Walter

Age 55

Place of birth Chaffee, Missouri

Spouse's, children's names

Lisa

Natalie (and Roy Buell, grandchildren Charley and Piper)

Trent (and Amber, grandchildren Leelynn and Oliver)

Seth (and Alisha)

Education

Graduate of National Sheriff's Institute in Longmont, Colorado and Southeast Missouri State University Law Enforcement Academy. I have been a licensed peace officer for 26 years which includes being a federal officer for US Customs in Chicago.

Occupation Scott County Sheriff

Employer Scott County

Businesses owned, all or part

None

Public offices held or sought; give dates

Scott County Sheriff January 1, 2005 to present.

Website www.scottcountymo.com/sheriff

If elected, what improvements would you make in the department?

One major improvement is monies collected that, for the first time ever, are forwarded to the treasury of Scott County. Other improvements have been 24/7 patrol, the installation of computers in patrol vehicles, body-worn cameras, electronic fingerprint submittal, online access to jail information, new digital radios which are reliable and interoperable with other agencies across the state for multijurisdictional use. We are currently looking into video visitation which would save on manpower = money saved.

Financing law enforcement is always a major issue in rural counties. How would you save money for your department?

We continue to apply for grants to supplement the funding. Times have changed with the work load and the cost of conducting business; we have fortunately received generous donations from the public and corporations to get needed equipment for this office enabling us to implement the Rural Crimes Unit, K-9 Unit and the ZJ-1 Drone Project. We are conducting more in-house training and have implemented new standards of conduct to help defend against frivolous lawsuits.

Do you feel the sheriff's department has a good reputation? How would you preserve or improve on that reputation?

The SheriffÂ’s office has a very good reputation. I have always had and continue to have an open-door policy to the public. I have an outstanding relationship with other agencies and with the news media. It is our job to put people in jail that violate the law. The fact is that people that have been arrested and people who are worried about being caught breaking the law are not going to like us.

What is the biggest crime problem in Scott County?

The biggest crime problem is drugs. Drug crimes have a ripple effect; often a case involving a burglary or assault occurs solely to help support a personÂ’s drug habit. These cases are labeled as stealing or burglaries but often involve drugs; the same applies to assault cases as those are oftentimes drug related as well. In addition to drug crimes, we are seeing an increase in child sexual assault cases.

Closing remarks

The oath of office means something to me and I will not give up my integrity. I will do everything lawfully possible to help those in need and promise to continue to work hard for the citizens of Scott County as I have done for the last 12 years. I thank everyone that has supported me and I humbly ask for your support on the democratic ticket on August 2. Thank you and God bless.