Happy Independence Day! The elected office of sheriff in Texas County has been in place since 1845 – when Texas County was officially created by the State of Missouri.
There has been significant talk around the Missouri General Assembly over the last couple of years about amending the Missouri Constitution to include language preserving the office of sheriff. Currently the office of sheriff is established by state statute.
State statutes can be repealed or amended at the will of the general assembly with the consent or veto of the governor. The burden for amending the Missouri Constitution is a vote of citizens. Sheriffs and law enforcement in general have more support at the state level currently than I’ve seen for many years, however, there is always a chance that things change in Jefferson City. A future administration or assembly could change the duties of county sheriffs, eliminate the office, make it an appointed position or create a state police force.
When you hear talk about constitutional sheriffs, there is this issue and the more traditional view that the elected sheriff is directly accountable to the constitution and the citizens they protect. Preserving the elected office of sheriff as the chief law enforcement officer of each county in the Missouri Constitution will ensure that if changes are made to that office in the future, it will involve the will of the people by a vote and not just the politics of the era in Jefferson City.
During the month of June, I was able to attend a couple of events for community involvement. The Gentry Residential Treatment Center had their quarterly community liaison council meeting and it was great to hear a positive update on the upcoming graduation of some of the youth confined there. The other event featured a person speaking that I knew during a very difficult time in their life. It has been very good to see them overcome addiction and turn their life around.
During the month of June, the sheriff’s office generated the following written report types:
- Domestic assault – 13
- Warrant arrest – 9
- Stealing – 6
- Death investigation – 5
- Animal complaint – 5
- Traffic offense – 4
- Mental health – 4
- Abandoned vehicle – 3
- Identity theft/fraud – 3
- Assisting other agency – 2
- Assault – 2
- Missing person – 2
- Sex offense – 2
- Trespassing – 2
- Harassment – 2
- Tampering with a witness 1
- Resisting arrest
- Lost property
- Failure to appear in court
- Property damage
- Elder abuse
- Juvenile issue
- Littering