Sheriff Ken Pingrey is running in the upcoming general election on the Republican ticket and was present to answer questions Monday at a Rotary forum. During the recently held Chamber of Commerce forum, Pingrey said his number one priority is removing drugs from the street. Rotarian, Doug Burns, said drugs seemed to be a big issue in the 1990s, and although we don’t have large numbers of violent crimes, it seems like sex offenses have been on the rise. Pingrey responded by saying it is fortunate that we do not have a high violent crime rate, but he stands behind his original statement on drugs.
He said training with both law enforcement and in the prosecutorial sector have resulted in more sex crimes being brought to trial in the county.
Pingrey also addressed a question from former Mayor, Adam Schweers, about what steps have been taken in working with other communities and entities so that resources are most efficiently utilized.
Pingrey told the Rotarians that the Sheriff’s Office has nine full-time employees for deputies, including himself. He said for a county of nearly 22,000, he believes they have enough staff and are comparable in numbers with surrounding counties that have a lower population, but he does not see a problem with scheduling or addressing the needs of the county. Sheriff Pingrey is running against Democratic candidate, Bill Croghan. Croghan was not present at the Rotary forum, but instead sent a letter expressing his regrets, saying after chemotherapy and radiation treatments he was limiting his exposure under the advice of his physician. He said he is doing well and is hoping to return to work soon. We will be bringing you more from all local and regional candidates in upcoming one-on-one interviews.
