In the summer of 2020, I began a strong push in our agency and in the community to build trust and develop relationships. I saw a need for this due to the general climate of law enforcement and incidents that took place in our agency that reduced trust...

“What is the Chief doing? Is he going to be weak on crime?” This is the kind of thing I have heard both in the department and out in the community a few times over the last year. Hearing these types of comments was the main reason that I began writing this series. After all, my experience as a public information officer taught me to relay information to people so they understand what we are doing, and public support is vitally important in our profession...

In 1998, as a young, White man, I came to work at Sikeston DPS. It was not long before I began my training as a police officer. Like most everyone else, the experiences I was soon to have would help shape the perceptions of the community I served. This was especially so in the Black community because I was so unfamiliar with it...

Last year, at the June 8, 2020, Sikeston City Council Meeting, I proposed a program to help DPS build relationships with community members. Many residents were in attendance as Council voted unanimously in favor of the program designed to change the direction of our policing...

For the August 2020 article, I thought I would discuss a couple of issues and a small recap of the Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo from earlier this month. RETURN TO SCHOOL – As you know, Sikeston R-6 will start the 2020-2021 school year on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Of course, motorists must be mindful of the heavier vehicular and pedestrian traffic the school year brings. ...

On Saturday, July 11, Mrs. Laurie Mitchell held her second annual “Stop the Violence” program at the Spread Hope Now pavilion at Branum and William Street in Sikeston. Hundreds of people came to this event in remembrance of her son, Marcus Dixon, who was murdered at this location just a short distance from Laurie’s home...

I sit back and look at all the challenges our nation is facing in the last three weeks since the horrible incident in Minneapolis. Protests and riots have erupted across the nation stemming from this wrongful treatment acted out by Derek Chauvin. Even prior to this, for more than three months now, our nation has been plagued with the coronavirus pandemic. ...

Since becoming Chief in August 2019, we have faced many challenges. We have had some serious issues to deal with for sure, but I do believe we are on the path of improvement. Still, I know there is much that needs to be addressed if we are truly going to better our community...

One thing that continues to amaze me is the training that our officers need to do the jobs they do. It is extensive to say the least and it only seems to increase as time goes on. The SEMO Law Enforcement Academy class is 800 hours and takes five months to complete. ...

I’m certain most of the community is aware of the fatality accident that occurred on Saturday, Feb. 29. For the people involved, I have little doubt that this day will ever be forgotten. As I stated in the news release, we requested Missouri State Highway Patrol to investigate that incident and I do not intend to talk about the details of the accident here. We will wait for the official findings of that inquiry and will respond appropriately when those facts are brought forth...

Some of us have been doing this job for several years and many have a vast amount of experience to draw upon to do this job well. Still, there are those occasions that remind us all how dangerous this job can be. The Friday evening of Jan. 24 was one of those times...

As many of you know, we work closely with the Standard Democrat on a daily basis. We are grateful for the Standard allowing us to have some space to talk about our department and our efforts in bringing safety to our residents. We have partnered to do a monthly article about our department, events, current trends on crime and other messages that we feel should be spotlighted. ...