By Emily Sears | June 28, 2012
Continuing our Brownsboro Heroes series, Brownsboro Alliance is proud to feature Officer Sarah J. King of the Oldham County Police Department!
Ofc. King is originally from Jefferson County, where she still currently resides. She has been a police officer for 3 years. In explaining why she wanted to become a police officer, Ofc. King said, “I have the need to help people and enjoy serving the citizens of Oldham County by detecting and preventing crime.” The job has been rewarding for Ofc. King, as she enjoys “being able to help people in a time of need and help keep them safe.”
Ofc. King is one of 32 police officers on the OCPD. Within the Department, three platoons patrol the county, and each officer works 8-hour shifts. Three School Resource Officers serve the county’s public schools. The Criminal Investigation Division is responsible for narcotics, sex crimes, and property crimes. One officer is assigned to the K-9 Unit and is always on call. OCPD has several other special teams, including the Honor Guard, Public Information Officers (PIO), the Accident Reconstruction Team, the Interagency Drug Task Force, and the Interagency Special Response Team. In addition to working the Brownsboro area on patrol, Ofc. King is a member of the Honor Guard, the Interagency Special Response Team, and works with the Interagency Drug Task Force. She is also the PIO for 2nd Shift.
OCPD was established on January 1, 1978, and received accreditation on March 1, 2001. Officer King enthusiastically described the core values of the OCPD, saying , “We strive our hardest to achieve the satisfaction of our citizens. We are a very motivated and determined department that likes to be proactive in the prevention of crime within our community. We work hard on our community orientated policing and love to hear from our citizens.”
OCPD breaks the county into 5 patrol districts; Brownsboro is divided into Districts 1 & 2. One or two officers will patrol these Districts during each shift. Ofc. King described Brownsboro very favorably. “Brownsboro is a wonderful community to live in due to lower crime rate in reference to the rest of the county.” She advised, however, that awareness and crime prevention from the residents of Brownsboro is still key to the creating a crime free Brownsboro. Statistically in Brownsboro, the biggest problem is theft. Ofc. King supplied comparative crime statistics between this year and 2011: our crime rate is lower than last year, which included several burglaries, thefts, and a theft of an automobile. This year to date, OCPD has only taken a couple of theft reports within Brownsboro.
Ofc. King encourages members of the community to support OCPD and to get involved. “Oldham County Police Department has a very high impression of the citizens of Oldham County and especially the citizens of Brownsboro. Oldham County Police Department thrives on our community oriented policing and support from our citizens. You as citizens allow the Oldham County Police Department succeed as a law enforcement agency.” One way to get involved is by attending the Citizen’s Academy, which was “developed to provide a better understanding between citizens and the police department through education.” Ofc. King has recommends the OCPD Citizen’s Academy which she described as the opportunity “to provide information to Oldham County citizens so they can make informed judgments about the criminal justice system. Proper understanding can dispel common suspicions and misconceptions and increase police-community cooperation. The police department, in return, becomes more aware of the feelings and concerns of the community from the citizens.” Find out more about the Citizen’s Academy on the OCPD’s website.
As far as advice to stay safe this summer Ofc. King reminds us “to remember to please lock their residence and vehicle in order help prevent burglaries and thefts. If you are going on a Summer vacation, the Oldham County Police Department offer a house watch program for the citizens of Oldham County which provides a residential check at least once per shift while you are out of town. You may request a house watch on our website. Oldham County Police Department strives hard to prevent and deter crime for the citizens of Oldham County. We encourage the citizens of Oldham County to contact Oldham County Police Department with concerns involving law enforcement and/or suspicious activity.”
Thank you to Ofc. Sarah J. King for her contribution to this article and for her service to the Oldham County community!