Travis King has been a law enforcement officer for the past 22 years, and he is confident that he is exactly where God wants him.
“I have always had a helping personality,” said King, who is a captain with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. “I was raised that way … to help others.”
After high school, the Brownsburg native, had a desire to help animals and had aspirations to become a veterinarian. He graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in animal science, but did not immediately pursue vet school. Instead, he began working on a research farm. Those first few years in the workforce were a good start to a career, but it was not his calling.
King decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. In 1999, he accepted a job as a jailer at the Hendricks County Jail. In 2001, he joined the Brownsburg Police Department as a full-time officer. He worked there until 2007 and was a detective corporal all but three of those years.
King briefly left public safety work for a job with Target investigating internal theft. It was a lucrative executive position, but again his heart wasn’t in it.
In April of 2008, King joined the MCSO as a patrol officer. Eight months later he transitioned to detective. He has spent many years as an investigator, and in January of this year was promoted to captain and placed as jail commander by Montgomery County Sheriff Ryan Needham.
As jail commander it is King’s responsibility to make sure that everything at the facility is running safely.
“It’s my job to make sure we are staffed properly,” he said. “To look for liabilities … I spend more time on that than anything, just making sure we are doing everything legal … I research more laws than I ever thought I would.”
His many yeas as an investigator has transitioned into a 100% administrative role.
“I like the new challenges, especially finding new and efficient ways to do things,” King said.
His biggest challenge, and least favorite part of the job, is hiring.
“It’s more than just finding the right person for the job, it’s finding applicants,” he said.
Despite the challenges, King is still dedicated to his profession, and that pride stems not only from who he is as a person, but from the support he receives on the job and within the community.
“That’s one thing we’ve talked about a lot here … the bad media and the hatred that is out there. We just don’t see it here,” King said. “My personal feeling is that the community still supports what we do, which is great. We’re trying to do good things.”
King also serves as the Linden Town Marshal — a job he has held for the past four years. He also is a Montgomery County Drug Court staff member and runs the MCSO’s social media platforms.
Before becoming jail commander, King worked diligently as an investigator of Internet Crimes Against Children cases: handled child pornography and exploitation cases; was a SWAT operator, sniper and negotiator; and diver and dive team leader.
“I’ve done quite a bit over the years,” he said.
In his spare time, King enjoys hunting, fishing and camping. All activities that allow him to disconnect and decompress.
He and his wife, Caira, have a daughter, Kyla, who is a freshman at Purdue University. The family resides in northern Montgomery County.
