Ken Steinfort retires from force
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Ken Steinfort is not only a well-known businessman and owner of the Office Shop in Batesville since August of 1978, but has also been a Reserve Deputy throughout Ohio, Florida and Ripley Co. for almost 18 years. He has turned in his badge of many years of dedication in law enforcement recently.
Steinfort was born and raised in Batesville and growing up always had a passion of one day being a part of law enforcement, and at the age of 40(in 1992) he joined the academy and became a Special Deputy in Hamilton County, OH.
This gave him eight years of field experience. During his interview with The Versailles Republican he stated, “Hamilton Co. Sheriff Simon Lies, formally a Marine, made a great impact on me in having all his officers be fine dressed and haircuts tight. This made me very aware and respectful of those traditions in uniform.”
In 2001, he moved to Florida with his wife Tecla. He wanted to continue his experience as deputy and was accepted as a deputy in Hillsboro Co., Florida. He continued his years in law enforcement while still running his business, The Office Shop, in Batesville.
After several years of commuting, he wanted to come back to his roots. In 2013, at 61 years of age, he applied for the Ripley Co. Reserve Deputy position at the Ripley Co. Sheriff’s Office in Versailles. When applying, the first step is passing a physical. Steinfort stated, “I have always been active and loved running, so I knew, even at my age, I should be okay. When doing the test, I looked around and saw a lot of younger men around and thought I just don’t want to be last, knowing that everyone there knew I was one of the oldest completing the physical test. At the end of testing, I had finished first in the long-distance run, which I truly believe may have helped me in getting on with the Sheriff’s Dept.”
“I will always be grateful for my relationships with my colleagues. I trained a lot with Steve Sullivan and my great friend, Randy Holt. When you are in this field you become more like brothers. I have many great memories with everyone.”
In 2020, Steinfort thought of retiring at that time and put in his notice with the Ripley Co. Sheriff’s Dept. Within hours of turning in his notice, Sunman Police Dept. contacted him and asked for him to come help. They had heard about his mad traffic skills and said he would be a great asset. Sunman allowed him to volunteer his services on his terms as he then began assisting the Sunman Police.
As years passed, Steinfort knew he wanted to retire eventually and wanted to finish his time as Reserve Deputy with the Ripley Co. Sheriff’s Dept. before he turned in his final badge days. He has been a dedicated officer for this community for many years but has realized at the age of 72 he has more things he would like to enjoy with his family and enjoy his hobbies.
Steinfort and his wife, Tecla, have recently celebrated 35 years of marriage and have three beautiful grandchildren, twin boys, Nick and Nate, age 16 and Megan, age 20. They have grown up calling him ‘Pops” and he and Tecla want to have more adventures with them growing up. Time is of the essence with family.
“Nothing is wrong with my health or anything else. Timing is just right at this time in my life. I just want more time to do things I like to enjoy. I want to ride my mules with my wife. I want to go on more motorcycle rides with her and my friends. I don’t want another year to pass, and I still don’t have the time.”
Men and women that volunteer their time in law enforcement take up a lot of their free time from family and friends to serve the community, and for some, it becomes a second career.
Steinfort recently purchased a new 2024 Harley Davidson and has plans to enjoy his free time now putting his traveling miles on his bike and not in a police cruiser. He said, “It was a hard decision, but I am very grateful and thankful for the trust from the Town of Sunman and their police dept. and the Ripley Co. Sheriff’s Dept. for giving me the responsibility of being a deputy and a part of their departments.”
