When Kent Oberkrom first took office as Henry County sheriff in January 1997, deputies had to supply their own vehicles and pay for their own uniforms, weapons and protective gear. That was common in Missouri’s third-class counties back then. Two years later, Oberkrom convinced the county commission to budget enough money for the county to pay for vehicles, uniforms and other gear that deputies needed for their jobs. That change is one of the accomplishments of which Oberkrom is most proud in his seven terms as sheriff.
Oberkrom – who didn’t run for re-election this year to an eighth term -- resigned this month as sheriff, effective July 25, after being appointed by Gov. Mike Parson to a six-year term on the state Board of Probation and Parole. Oberkrom’s 27.5 years in office make him the longest-serving sheriff in Henry County’s history.
Oberkrom informed the Henry County Commission of his decision in a closed session early in July. The Commission will appoint a replacement for the rest of the unexpired term, which ends Dec. 31. The only candidate for sheriff in the August primary elections and November general election is Aaron Brown of Montrose, the Johnson County sheriff’s chief deputy.
“I didn’t run for re-election because I decided it was time to let someone else do that,” Oberkrom said. “My wife and I decided we wanted to do other stuff.”
The possible position on the seven-member Board of Probation and Parole came on Oberkrom’s radar a couple of months ago.
“I knew another former sheriff was retiring from that board, so I put my name in the hat,” he said.
The board position in Jefferson City culminates a long career in the criminal justice system for Oberkrom. His career before being elected sheriff includes two years as a Henry County sheriff’s deputy, five years as a Clinton police officer, and 12 years as a Juvenile Court officer for the Missouri courts’ 27th District, which covers Bates, Henry and St. Clair counties.
“I’ve done every step (in criminal justice) except parole and probation,” Oberkrom said.
Many people think sheriffs focus on putting people in jail and prison, but Oberkrom doesn’t think he’ll have to change his attitude about offenders in his new job.
“I’ve always thought the lion’s share of folks, given the right opportunity, can be successful.”
That attitude led to the creation of the Henry County pretrial release program six years ago, cutting down on what Oberkrom termed “paupers jail.”
“Many people stayed in jail, awaiting trial, simply because they couldn’t afford to post a bond. In this program, we ask them what they can afford to post, and petition the court to let them out for that amount. Then we help them get jobs to support their families and be productive citizens while their cases are pending. We monitor them, try to make sure they have transportation, and remind them about upcoming court dates so they don’t go back to jail for missing an appearance,” he said.
This Henry County program, which had 32 people in it in early July, makes offenders have some “skin in the game,” the sheriff said.
“It’s dependent on (the offender) having a good, solid home plan, such as a place to stay and support of a family.”
He believes its success rate is about 90 percent, meaning the offenders showed up for court and completed their sentences, whether it’s serving jail time, paying a fine, or doing community service.
One success story of this “What can we do to help people be successful?” attitude is a man named Anthony.
“I interviewed this young boy when he first got in trouble. He asked, ‘Why do you care for me?’ I told him, ‘You don’t have criminal thinking. You just did something stupid without thinking of the consequences. You acknowledge your mistake and take responsibility for it.’ Anthony completed his punishment and I still communicate with him. I wrote him a letter of support for a job one time, and he got the job,” Oberkrom said. “That’s an example of someone who was given the right opportunity and made the most of it.”
Oberkrom hopes he can bring this attitude to the Board of Probation and Parole. He said Missouri inmates have a recidivism rate of about 40 percent – meaning they commit another crime within three years of leaving prison. He knows of other states with much lower recidivism rates, which he credits to having more of a “helping” attitude.
“Instead of asking offenders, ‘What’s wrong with you?’, we should be asking, ‘What happened to you?’ That’s a big difference in thinking,” he said.
Many law enforcement officers in Missouri are critical of the state Department of Corrections because it releases offenders well before they’ve served their full prison sentences because of various calculations for time already served, time off for good behavior, and allowances for crowded prisons.
“Some people think a prison sentence is ‘automatic.’ We need to know: what does a six-year sentence really mean. ‘Truth in sentencing’ is a real issue for law enforcement officers,” he said.
Now, he’ll be part of that system. The Board of Probation and Parole is a division of the Department of Corrections.
“Gov. Parson and Oberkrom share a similar philosophy about people in custody.
“If we can get people out of institutions, we’re better off,” Oberkrom said. “Most people ought to have the opportunity to get out of custody, while keeping our communities safe.”
In his seven terms as sheriff, Oberkrom is most proud of what he’s been able to do to support his deputies. Besides not having to supply their own cars and equipment, deputies now have health insurance and other benefits, as well as a lot more training. He’s also brought in technology and a better management system to the county jail. He’s appreciative of the support of voters.
“The improvements came with a price tag. We’ve been able to pass sales tax issues for a new jail and for improved public safety. We’ve also been aggressive about applying for grants.”
In the last 20 years, Oberkrom is also proud that the Sheriff’s Office has been able to take over the law enforcement duties for five of the six small towns in Henry County. The contracts save the towns money, and place deputies in the towns for a specified amount of hours each week.
The low points for the sheriff have been two deaths in the county jail in the past five years. One was for a woman who went into shock because of alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The other was a man who hanged himself.
“My goal always was to have no in-custody deaths,” Oberkrom said. “We’ve had a lot of saves of inmates but these two got away from us.”
Another jail incident was early in his tenure as sheriff. He fired – and asked the prosecutor to charge -- a corrections officer who had sex with an inmate. He also fired another officer who knew something about it but didn’t report it.
Oberkrom beat incumbent Sheriff Jack Reynolds in 1996. Several of his subsequent elections have been unopposed.
Oberkrom has lived in Henry County since he was 2 years old. He grew up on a cattle farm west of Clinton. In addition to being sheriff, Oberkrom also served nine years on the Clinton School Board, including two years as board president. He and his wife, Diane, his high school sweetheart, have three daughters, eight grandchildren, and one great grandchild.
His community service includes being a leader in Boy Scout Troop 430, where he earned Eagle in 1972 under longtime Scoutmaster J.C. Smith. Smith later managed some of his campaigns for sheriff. He has never seen a conflict between the values of Scouting and his role as a law enforcement officer.
“I’ve tried to live by the Scout Oath and Scout Law. My philosophy in life has been to care about other human beings. That’s also been my attitude in law enforcement.”
