I am writing to ask that the voters of Lincoln County cast their ballot this November in favor of Sheriff Curt Folger. Curt has served us well for the last three terms and a vote to re-elect him ensures another four years of progressive, fair and professional law enforcement in the county.

When voters first elected Sheriff Folger they took a risk, choosing to go with a candidate with no law enforcement background. Instead of judging the candidate solely on his resume of law enforcement experience, they chose a neighbor and friend with a reputation of maturity, sound judgement, even temper and one who had a vision for the role his deputies would play in Lincoln County. The chance voters took on Folger was well placed and has paid off in ways that most residents don’t see on day to day.

What we do see every day are more deputies, including special deputies, more cruisers, more drug dogs and more arrests and drug seizures, but behind the scene, the improvements Folger has made are the ones that have elevated the professionalism of our Sheriff’s Office. Paperwork is boring, meeting with other agencies and adjacent law enforcement units is boring and balancing books is boring, but this nuts and bolts work is more critical than voters realize. Year after year, state audits of the millions of dollars that pass through the office find that, down to the penny, Curt and his staff know where the money is going. Lincoln County’s deputies are trusted and relied upon by neighboring and state law enforcement, with whom they work seamlessly. And paperwork, most importantly the revenue generating court summonses, flow smoothly through the office with a high level of accountability.

One of the national trends that Folger has bucked is the militarization of local law enforcement. Every police office I’ve ever visited is littered with magazines depicting law enforcement officers that would appear to be more prepared for Iraq or Afghanistan than rural Kentucky. Our deputies have been equipped and trained for the well armed and violent world in which they work, but it’s not their sole focus. After a series of dynamic entries into homes by law enforcement were reported in The Interior Journal I spoke to Curt and raised my concerns that the use of flash bang devices in early morning raids would likely lead to a deadly encounter he simply said, “We’re not doing that anymore.” They can if they have to, but it would be a rare exception.

Finally, I would say that what separates Curt from many others is his ability to listen. He once told me, “You can’t learn anything by talking, you learn by listening.” And he encourages his deputies to be the same way whether in contact with victims, witnesses or suspects. No one needs reminding of how deeply affected our county has been by the drug epidemic and associated crime, but Folger’s immediate family has been impacted by this national plague and if anyone can empathize with families and victims in the same boat, it’s Curt.

I’ll leave it to others to list Folger and his department’s achievements and awards, which are many, but finish by saying we have enjoyed a professional, ethical and responsible Sheriff’s Office for 12 years and I hope you will vote to continue to keep Curt Folger as our sheriff.

Michael Broihier
Lincoln CountY