Several Missouri communities are struggling to recruit and retain law enforcement officers as well as prosecutors. Newly installed Gov. Mike Kehoe is aware of the problem. He said he will share his recruitment and retention plans next week.
“We’re still working on a couple details for prosecutors plans, but we have a recruitment and retention piece we’ll be talking about at the State of the State,” Kehoe told reporters Thursday in Jefferson City.
The new governor has made crimefighting his top priority.
“Because in Missouri, just like most of our problems, one brush doesn’t paint all pictures, right? And so, you have to have some plans that will work better in some areas than other. I think that our Safer Missouri package will help some of our rural communities the most,” he said.
Higher pay could be part of the plan.
“Our crime plan was developed by members of the Sheriffs Association, the Police Chiefs Association, state troopers, multiple law enforcement associations, and Attorney General Andrew Bailey, to make sure that we actually had stakeholders helping us develop what would help in more of a rural setting, what would help in more of an urban setting,” said Kehoe.
The governor’s State of the State Address is scheduled for Tuesday @ 3 p.m. A livestream of the speech will be on the governor’s Facebook page.
Copyright © 2025 · Missourinet