Alex Sammet, head of right-of-way and land management at Spire, said Spire tries to donate to local communities, especially first responders.

“It’s our way of supporting the Scott County Sheriff’s Department and the work they do every day to protect the community,” Sammet said. “I hope this will have a positive impact not only on the sheriff’s department, but also on the citizens of the county.”

Sheriff Tom Eddinger said the money will be used to purchase equipment for the county to use in its drug prevention program, such as cameras and other equipment.

“We work closely with the drug task force, but with that we can buy tools and materials locally,” Eddinger said. “The money can be used to buy equipment so we don’t have to rely on the task force all the time.”

Eddinger said it sometimes takes time for the task force to respond, so having their own equipment means Scott County deputies will be able to respond more quickly.

“Drugs are a growing problem in our schools, communities and surrounding counties,” Eddinger said in a statement. “And drugs create other problems, including burglaries and other crimes. This donation from Spire will help us secure the resources we need to manage these issues within our community and try to keep everyone safe.

Sammet said he thought how the funds would be spent would be good for the community.

“Those seem like great ways to keep the community safe and improve it as well,” Sammet said. “We fully support these efforts.”

The funds will also be used to launch a canine program for the department.

“I tried to get a dog program in the county,” Eddinger said. “The closest we need to use is Roodhouse, Greene County. That will be another tool our officers can use.”

Between getting the dog and other equipment for the canine program, it will cost at least $15,000, Eddinger said.

“It’s a good start,” he said.