Franklin County Sheriff Kyle Bacon knows every curve, rise, and wrinkle in the  rural roads of his jurisdiction. These roads traverse his workplace, but he's not just enforcing the law here—he's serving the very community that shaped him. As a product of Benton schools and a third-generation resident, Bacon's connection to the area runs deep, informing both his career choice and his approach to public service.

"The draw for me was to be able to work in a more rural setting where I grew up, where I wanted to raise my children and my family, and be able to make a difference," Bacon explains of his decision to return to Franklin County after starting his law enforcement career in Nashville, Tennessee.

Born and raised in Benton, Bacon attended Grant Grade School for kindergarten through fourth grade before transferring to Benton Middle School for grades five through eight. After graduating from Benton High School in 1993, he pursued his interest in law enforcement at Rend Lake College, earning an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice in 1995.

Bacon continued his education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, graduating in 1998 with a Bachelor's Degree in Administration of Justice. At that time, law enforcement positions were highly competitive with minimal turnover, leading him to cast a wide net in his job search.

His career began in 1999 with the Metropolitan Police Department in Nashville, Tennessee, where he gained valuable patrol experience in downtown residential areas. While he enjoyed the excitement of urban policing, Bacon felt the pull of his hometown.

"When you work in a metropolitan police department with hundreds of thousands of people, sometimes you're questioning whether you're making an impact or just holding the line," he reflects. "I believed that by moving back here, going from hundreds of thousands of people to 40,000 people in the County, we could do some really good things and potentially make some positive changes."

When an opening became available at the Franklin County Sheriff's Office in 2001, Bacon returned home, beginning as a patrol deputy. After more than two decades of service in various capacities, he was elected Sheriff in 2022, taking office on December 1 of that year.

As Sheriff, Bacon oversees approximately 65 employees and a jail that houses about 70 inmates. His office has three primary responsibilities: operating the county jail, serving as officers of the court, and providing law enforcement services to unincorporated areas of the county.

"The sheriff is the only elected law enforcement person in our country, in our government system," Bacon explains. "The sheriff answers directly to the voters and directly to the electorate. If they don't like the job that he or she is doing, they have the option to choose a new sheriff every four years."

Reflecting on his education in Benton, Bacon credits the personal attention he received in a small-town school environment as formative to his development.

"It was hard to get away with anything," he says with a smile. "Your parents knew your teachers in school, they knew the administrators. People took interest in you, recognized if there was an issue, and were there to help you and guide you. I think there's value in rural areas and small schools and small towns where you're just not lost in the masses."

The impact of those connections remains vivid in his memory. "To this day, I can name every single teacher I had starting in kindergarten through sixth grade. I could talk about their style and their demeanor and how they helped me. I still see those teachers often in our community."

One particular memory stands out: "In the third grade, I had Betty Hutchins as a teacher, and I was terrible at multiplication tables. I remember specifically standing at her desk during recess and her giving me extra help and working with me. But I have a story like that for every teacher I ever had."

Today, Bacon continues the family tradition of Benton education with his own children. While his three older children—a 23-year-old son and 19-year-old twins—have graduated and moved on to college, his sixth-grader and third-grader currently attend Benton Grade School.

As both a parent and a public servant, Bacon appreciates the comprehensive education Benton schools provide, particularly the emphasis on extracurricular activities.

"If you entice and get school-age children involved in extracurricular activities, there is a benefit to the academic side as well," he observes. "Benton has done a fabulous job of recognizing that and putting the right people in the right positions to encourage kids to be involved in all these things that structure their lives."