Curtis Klingle

Intro

Several weeks ago, the Madisonville Meteor Editor, Richard Sirman asked if I would be interested in writing a column for them. During consideration three thoughts came to mind. First, I thoroughly enjoy writing and I also care about the community that I serve. Second, I was informed it would be an opinion page which, I must admit, intrigued me. And third, I had to consider my sincere belief that everyone is entitled to my opinion, and what better way to reach more people. With that, I enthusiastically said “yes” to the proposition. In all seriousness, I am deeply honored to contribute and hopefully provide some valuable and, well, not so valuable information along the way. Oh, and maybe elicit a chuckle every now and again.    

Being that a few of you are not Meteor subscribers, and the thought of you missing out on all of the deep philosophical insight (also known as bovine excrement) I am always ready to convey (the more unsolicited the better) I made inquiries to the Editor about a time frame when I could publish them on my website. After conversing with Richard, I received permission to start posting the column a week after original publication in the paper, which I thought was very generous of him. He’s a great guy by the way.   

So, for your reading pleasure, here is the first one they ran. I’ll get the second and third posted over the next few days.

Meteor Column 9/25/24

Introduction- I want to express my thanks to Editor, Richard Sirman for allowing me to contribute to our local newspaper. It is an honor and a privilege to write a column for the Madisonville Meteor.   

A little background on me. I have been in law enforcement since 1988 and have served with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office since 2014. In my career I have held the positions of patrol deputy, patrol sergeant, investigator, crimes scene investigator, and I now serve as the Chief Deputy.

I must stress that this column is not the County Sheriff speaking, but what is published here will be my own personal views and opinions, as well as suggestions. It is my hope to convey useful information to you, the reader, regarding current trends in criminal activity, protective measures you can implement, maybe a bit of history here and there, and a dash of humor when the muse permits. Even a law enforcement column should at the very least be entertaining.

Okay, now that we have that stuff out of the way, I can actually talk about current crime trends. We are seeing an uptick in vehicle thefts as well as burglaries of motor vehicles. There have been similar activities reported by our bordering counties and from all appearances these are not crimes of opportunity but are being perpetrated by what I would deem “professional criminals.” I know that is something of an oxymoron, but these individuals make their living as criminals, so I guess that monicker is as good as any, even without the inclusion of a few colorful expletives. While it is difficult at best to prevent much of what is deemed criminal activity, there are measures that you can implement to inhibit, or at least frustrate the perpetrators and quite possibly assist responding peace officers.

We all tend to take up a slower pace of life in the rural areas because we are relatively insulated from the criminal element. We quickly become somewhat lax about taking preventive steps and this only serves to assist those ne’re-do-wells that plague society. The professional criminal recognizes this and seeks out the rural areas for these very reasons. Granted, a motor vehicle can be stolen without the normal apparatus needed to start the engine, we need not make it easier on the thief by leaving the keys or key fob in our vehicles. What is more, we must take up the practice of removing expensive articles as well as locking the doors of our vehicles before retiring for the evening. To summarize, remove the keys/key fob and any articles from the vehicle, then lock the vehicle doors.  

Should a vehicle be stolen, it needs to be reported immediately. A deputy is going to need current registration and a detailed vehicle description. If your vehicle is broken into, please do not touch the vehicle, and also limit foot traffic around the vehicle. By doing so, you are preserving any evidence that may be on or near the vehicle, and quite possibly assisting law enforcement in the apprehension of those responsible.

I will try to include additional steps and tips in my next article. As I previously stated, we are never going to prevent criminals from doing what they do, but we can certainly implement measures to inhibit their efforts and maybe, just maybe, foil them a time or two.

Please contact the Sheriff’s Office should you have any questions. We will try to help in any way can.

Curtis Klingle