Farmers donate to Scott County rural-crimes initiative

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County farmers not only are pleased with the latest efforts by the sheriff to fight rural crime, but they are backing it with their money.

"A couple of days before, they just contacted us and said they wanted to make a donation and wanted to present us with the check Monday," Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said last week.

The $2,000 check included a $500 donation from the Farm Bureau as well as contributions from "several farmers who donated money," Walter said.

After that donation, the Sheriff's Department received another $100 and the donation of equipment worth "well over $2,000," he said.

The donations are meant to support an initiative launched this summer to target the theft and vandalism of farm equipment, Walter said.

"In June, I assigned a detective to work rural crimes," he said. "His main focus will be investigating rural crimes, but we will utilize him in other places as needed if he's not working those crimes."

But the investigation of rural crimes "wasn't getting nearly the amount of attention I thought it deserved or needed," Walter said. "Farming is a big industry in Scott County. If you look at some of the equipment they have to have to get the job done, there is a lot of money invested in these businesses. A theft can be thousands of dollars."

Using money generated from serving civil process papers, the department bought a used four-wheel-drive vehicle from the Missouri State Highway Patrol for the detective, Walter said.

"We had no money budgeted for that, so that's what we used -- no tax dollars," he said.

The donations will provide the vehicle with "minimum emergency lighting and other equipment he will need for his investigation," Walter said.

At meetings conducted before the detective was assigned to rural crimes, "there were 30 to 40 farmers that came, met with us and voiced their concerns. The farmers are very supportive of our officer's efforts to do this," Walter said.

During the meetings, "we discussed implementing more high-tech devices not only on the irrigation pivots but in other locations where, if a theft is occurring, these things will be triggered and contact us immediately. It goes to our dispatchers and also to the deputies' phones and my phone and alerts us to what is going on, whether it is something with a pivot or a grain bin or some other equipment."

Devices and cameras even are being placed at remote farm sheds, he said.

Walter said some farmers were approached and questioned by the rural-crimes detective while working at night, but they don't seem to mind.

"They appreciate that, knowing we are out in nights, evenings, making sure people aren't roaming around where they don't need to be," he said. "It makes me feel good that folks are supporting this the way they are."