Patrick Burton is the new chief of the Licking Police Department, replacing Scott Lindsey, who was recently elected sheriff of Texas County.
Burton joined the LPD in April 2011, and on Nov. 16 was named as the agency’s chief by the Licking City Council. He was assistant chief prior to being promoted.
“I am excited about the transition and the future challenges the position will bring,” Burton said.
The LPD’s roster includes five full-time officers and three reserves.
Two of the full-timers are new: Jordan Goodwin and James McConnell.
McConnell graduated from Licking High School in 2010 and from the Missouri State Highway Patrol Law Enforcement Academy in 2013. He was commissioned as a reserve officer for the Licking Police Department in January 2014 and started full time with the LPD in September after being a corrections officer at the South Central Correctional Center in Licking.
Goodwin moved to West Plains with his family in 2005, where he later graduated high school. He served as a Military Police for four years active duty in the U.S. Army and eight years with the Missouri Army National Guard. He graduated the Missouri Sheriff’s Academy in 2012.
Goodwin was honorably discharged from the military in December 2017 at the rank of staff sergeant. He is continuing his education at Columbia Southern University by working toward his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
The phone number at the Licking Police Department is 573-674-2278.