In the first staff shakeup since Gov. Mike Parson took office, the director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety is being replaced at the end of the month.
Drew Juden, who was appointed to the post in January 2017 by former Gov. Eric Greitens, is leaving his $116,000 per year job at the request of Parson.
“I think the governor was just looking for a different approach,” spokeswoman Kelli Jones said.
Jones said there was no specific event or policy decision by Juden that led to his firing.
“As a former law enforcement officer, the governor was just wanting to go in a different direction,” Jones said.
Since taking office June 1 after Greitens quit, Parson has kept top agency officials in place, saying that his predecessor had chosen a good team to manage state government.
Juden as among a contingent of agency chiefs at the governor’s annual ham breakfast event at the Missouri State Fair on Thursday.
Before joining the Greitens’ administration, Juden oversaw both the police and fire departments in Sikeston, population 16,000. He also was a former president of the Missouri Police Chiefs Association.
Juden, who has worked in law enforcement for over 40 years, came under fire last summer when Greitens said Juden had investigated problems at the St. Louis Veterans Home and found no issues.
After outcry by then-Lt. Gov. Parson, residents, families and lawmakers, Greitens led a major shakeup of the agency that oversees the home.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Col. Sandra Karsten will take over for Juden in an acting capacity while a search is underway for a new top cop.
“Col. Karsten has a long track record of being a top-notch professional and an exemplary public servant,” Parson said in a prepared statement. “We are confident in her leadership during this transition.”
“Gov. Parson asked if I would be willing to assist during the department’s transition, and I am more than happy to help,” Karsten said. “Ensuring the public’s safety has been a top priority in my 33-year career in law enforcement, and it always will be.”