Gov. Mike Kehoe recently recognized Jefferson County and the city of Arnold as the first two communities to receive Missouri Blue Shield designation.
The Blue Shield program is part of Kehoe’s Safer Missouri initiative and will allow communities to apply for state grants for law enforcement training and equipment. Kehoe is working with the General Assembly to make $10 million in grant funding available for this program, according to the Governor’s Office.
On April 24, Kehoe was at Arnold City Hall where he presented signs to Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak and Arnold Police Chief Brian Carroll to commemorate the Blue Shield designation they received.
Kehoe wrote “#1!” on each of the signs, indicating the city and county were the first to receive the designation. He also signed each of them.
“I don’t know if it is 1 and 1A; we will call you both No. 1,” Kehoe said. “Jefferson County and Arnold did a great job of being the first in there. There were a lot of communities that tried to be first. It was kind of a fun competition.”
Marshak said the Blue Shield designation shows the county’s support for law enforcement officers.
“We are excited that our community was acknowledged for supporting public safety,” he said. “It’s an important selling point as we recruit officers. Officers need to know that their sacrifice is worth something, and we know officers will deliver better service to a community that appreciates them.”
Arnold Police Chief Brian Carroll said he told his staff he wanted Arnold to be the first city to receive the Blue Shield designation after Kehoe created the program on Jan. 13 as one of his first six executive orders following his inauguration,
“Our staff worked very hard and we accomplished our goal,” Carroll said. “This also would not have been possible without the support of our elected officials over the years. They understand the importance of public safety, and they make it a top priority in their decision making.”
Marshak said Jefferson County District 4 Councilman Charles Groeteke spearheaded the county’s effort to earn the Blue Shield designation. On Feb. 24, Groeteke introduced a resolution for the county and its communities to seek the Blue Shield designation, and the council members voted unanimously in support of the resolution.
“Without law enforcement, it would not be safe at work or in our homes,” Groeteke said. “It is a privilege to help get this designation for Jefferson County.”
The Governor’s Office announced on April 9 that numerous other communities had received the designation, including Warrensburg, Carter County, Miller County, Sedalia, Kennett, Branson, Desloge, Johnson County, Cole County, Grandview, Vinita Park, Greenwood and Town and Country.
On April 24, Kehoe said 55 communities applied for the designation in the first four weeks that the application period was opened.
“We will have more (Blue Shield communities) that we are announcing in the next several weeks,” he said.
The Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS), which is administering the Blue Shield program, announced on its Facebook page on April 23 that the city of Festus was accepted into the program.
Applications continue to be accepted and should be submitted by an official from the jurisdiction seeking the Blue Shield designation in coordination with the jurisdiction’s chief law enforcement officer, according to the Governor’s Office.
Among the Blue Shield designation eligibility criteria are:
■ Passage of a resolution demonstrating a commitment to public safety and reducing violent crime within the jurisdiction.
■ Extraordinary investments in public safety funding.
■ Community policing initiatives or local partnerships to invest in and/or improve public safety.
■ Law enforcement officer recruitment and retention program.
■ Demonstrated effectiveness in reducing crime or innovative programs that attempt to reduce crime.
■ Participation in regional anti-crime task forces or a commitment to be a willing partner with these in the future.
■ Compliance with Missouri crime reporting and traffic stop data requirements and other related statutes.
If the General Assembly approves grant funding for the program, the DPS will begin accepting grant applications in July, when the fiscal year 2026 funding becomes available.
“I’m sure the grant funding will be competitive, so we don’t want to speculate on award amounts,” Marshak said. “While we haven’t seen the details of what the grant money could be used for, I’m confident that those funds will somehow help us support the equipment and consumables for the crime lab.”
Carroll said he is looking forward to receiving grant funding to advance public safety efforts.
“We see firsthand how costly it is keeping up with evolving technology that helps keep our community safe,” he said. “Our software systems require constant updates and our older equipment quickly becomes obsolete. We recently upgraded our body cameras, which included cloud-based storage. These cameras are very effective, but very expensive to implement and maintain.”
Blue Shield counties, cities and towns must maintain their commitments each year to retain the Blue Shield designation via annual reporting on their ongoing efforts to support public safety. Once local governments are approved for a Blue Shield designation, they will receive a public relations tool kit to showcase their community’s commitment to public safety, according to the Governor’s Office.
Regional police training facility in the works
On April 10, representatives from Jefferson, St. Charles, Franklin and St. Louis counties announced plans to build a regional police training center that would offer courses for area police and sheriff departments.
The construction of the facility, which will be called the Gateway Regional Law Enforcement Training Center, will be paid for with a $50 million grant awarded by the DPS, Jefferson County officials reported.
A statement from St. Charles County officials said possible locations for the Gateway Regional Law Enforcement Training Center are still under consideration.
“This project will take a few years before completion, so there are lots of details that we will continue to work through,” Marshak said.
St. Charles County officials also said preliminary plans for the facility include replicas of an urban street and a home interior for real-world training scenarios, as well as virtual reality simulator rooms, traditional classrooms, a firing range and a driving course.
“The idea is to put together the best resources, equipment and instructors from the region to provide the absolute best training for officers and recruits,” Marshak said.
He said the center will likely have civilian access points to watch law enforcement training.
“I think it will give great insight into some of the challenges police officers face,” he said.
Upon approval of the legislative bodies for the four counties involved, the counties will sign an intergovernmental agreement to build the facility. Once built, it will be run by law enforcement officials, according to the written statement from Jefferson County.
Marshak said most of the funding for the facility will be from tuition and training fees.
“This project is an example of what can be accomplished through teamwork,” he said. “Area leaders accomplished this through collaboration, partnerships and a shared vision. (Jefferson County Executive) Dennis Gannon’s relationship with area leaders played an important role in getting this accomplished as well.”