As finding qualified officers continually gets harder for law enforcement agencies around the United States, a move has been made locally that is designed to address that issue.
A Basic Peace Officer Law Enforcement Academy has been started in Houston, led by three of Texas County’s leading officers: Texas County Sheriff Scott Lindsey and Chief Deputy Rowdy Douglas, and Houston Police Chief Brad Evans.
“This is very exciting news for our community,” Lindsey said. “No differently than in any other part of the state, we need more law enforcement officer to fill positions at local agencies.”
The 700-hour academy is sponsored by the Missouri Sheriff’s Association and will be conducted on a part-time basis, with the inaugural version running from January through November or December of 2026. Classes will meet at the Texas County Justice Center, from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and some Sundays.
Participants will graduate with a Class A peace officer license and will have credentials exceeding the state’s minimum basic training requirements for peace officer licensing, including a defensive tactics certificate, TASER certification, an OC/pepper spray certificate, a first responder certificate, a lethal munitions certificate and more.
Instruction will be provided by several local officers from various agencies who have completed courses to obtain necessary certification.
“We want to do this right,” Lindsey said. “We want to do everything we can to prepare people for success.”
Other Law Enforcement Academies in Missouri operate in Columbia, Camdenton, Springfield and Rolla. The part-time aspect of the Houston Academy allows for more flexibility.
“We hope this will give local people who may not be able to travel very far an opportunity to participate in an academy right here,” Lindsey said, “and with it being part-time, it allows people to work other jobs and have an income coming in while attending classes.”
“We’re in a good spot,” Douglas said. “Houston and Texas County are right in the middle of a lot of places that need officers.”
“Geographically, I think we’re in the perfect spot, in the center of south-central Missouri,” Lindsey said. “This should be attractive to people in several surrounding counties.”
Full-time academies, like one in Columbia, last about four months.
“This takes longer,” Douglas said, “but people can still hold down a full-time job.”
“I think that’s attractive to a lot of people,” Evans said. “They might want to pursue a new career in law enforcement, but they can’t afford to attend a full-time academy.”
Tuition is $5,500 (or $4,500 is sponsored and paid for by a sheriff’s department), and payment options include the Missouri Blue Scholarship, amounting to $6,000, administered by the state Department of Public Safety.
The idea has been discussed locally for about 10 years.
“There really isn’t a downside to this,” Lindsey said. “We want to do this annually, and we just hope we get good participation. We think we’re in a good spot to have that happen.”
Registration is now open and the deadline is Dec. 8. An application form can be downloaded online at mosheriffs.com/academy.
“This is something that’s really needed here,” Evans said. “All the departments struggle with finding qualified applicants, and if they’re not from this area, it’s hard to attract them from outside.”
For more information, email Gina Kauffman at gina@mosheriff.com.
