Hanged to death

When the county’s first reported rape and a murder occurred in 1862 the perpetrator was hanged. James Edmonds killed a man and kidnapped a 12-year old girl. Edmonds was arrested, charged, found guilty by the court and sentenced to be “hanged by the neck by Sheriff J. B. Dover until he is “Dead! Dead! Dead!”

Helen Church became Jefferson County sheriff after her husband Sheriff Leo Church died in 1962.

‘This execution came to hand March 3, 1863, and I executed the same on the 6th day of March 1863, by taking James Edmonds and hanging him with a rope by the neck until he was dead! dead!! dead!!! and buried him near the Hillsboro graveyard, on the day above written, and this execution is returned satisfied in full. [Signed] Jerome B. Dover, Sheriff.”

After the Civil War new county buildings were sorely needed. Many improvements gradually were made to court and law enforcement structures through the 19^th century and first half of the 20^th century. In the 1950s the county enlarged the old courthouse. Car radio communications were installed in 1956 and the county’s first fingerprinting system was activated.

Only a few inmates have escaped from the county jail.  In 1965 a skinny prisoner cut through a bar in his cell, soaped himself down and slipped through the gap.  Eight inmates attacked the only officer on duty and all escaped.  The Sheriff’s office reports, “Five were apprehended within a day; the remaining three were caught the following Saturday.  Another escape occurred in 1993 when a single prisoner, Kevin Hahn, escaped but was apprehended the same day. In 2011, prisoner Stephen Brooks was freed by mistake when he pretended to be an inmate scheduled to be released. Brooks was captured two days later hiding in a creek.

Walter “Buck” Buerger served as Jefferson County Sheriff for 28 years.

Only one Jefferson County Sheriff was a woman. When Sheriff Leo Church died in a car accident in 1962, his wife, Helen Church, was appointed to finish his term.  To date, Walter “Buck” Buerger, sheriff from 1965 to 1992, served the longest.  Sheriff Oliver “Glenn” Boyer, who retired on December 31, 2016, served for 24 years.

During Sheriff Boyer’s tenure, the office achieved many improvements. Jail renovation boosted housing from 116 beds to 334.  New communication and computer technologies advanced the office into the 21st century.

More than two centuries since its origin, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office today serves a population of about 240,000.  Sheriff Dave Marshak entered the office on January 1, 2017. He continues improving the office through advancements in training, equipment and technology.

According to the website CountyOffice.org, Jefferson County’s 10 Police Departments serve a total of 657 square miles – one Police Department for every 23,263 people.

Arnold Police

Arnold Police cruiser from the 1970s

The City of Arnold’s original Police Personnel Board was appointed November 2, 1972, to hire officers to help keep the peace. The first Police Board members were Ray Adams, Chris Hansen and Gene Whiteaker.

On November 15, 1972, Joseph Beil was named the first Chief of Police and Adrian Barrett was appointed Assistant Chief by Arnold’s first Mayor Ferd Lang. Initially, the department was housed with City Hall in a rental space at 522 Jeffco Blvd. (It is now at 2101 Jeffco Blvd.) Money was borrowed to purchase the first police car. On December 21, 1972, it was delivered with a set of red lights donated by the St. Louis County Police Department. More early department history is shown at https://www.arnoldmo.org/government/police/history/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ArnoldMOPoliceDepartment/.

Kahn joined the Arnold Police Department in 2016 and retired in February 2022 after helping in 130 arrests

Brian Carroll assumed command of the Arnold Police Department, replacing retired Chief Bob Shockey, when City Council members voted unanimously on April 21, 2022, to promote Carroll from major to chief. Mayor Ron Counts said at the time, “Brian served as acting police chief for several years when the chief wasn’t here… He is ready to go, and we are looking forward to him in this role.”

Carroll, 49, of Imperial has been with the Arnold Police Department since February 2000. He was promoted to corporal in December 2006, sergeant in November 2011 and lieutenant in June 2016 before promoted to major. As a lieutenant, one of his roles was K-9 Unit supervisor.

Brian Carroll – City of Arnold Chief of Police.

Carroll earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Radford University in Virginia, and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Michigan State University in East Lansing.

“I have known I wanted to be a police officer since I was eight years old,” he says. “My best friend growing up and next door neighbor’s father was a sergeant for the Rochester, New York, Police Department in the Mounted Patrol Division.  He would take us to the stables to feed the horses.  Because of this positive influence, I have always had a calling to this profession.  I am passionate about service for our community and how we can make a direct impact on the lives of many.”

While at Radford University Chief Carroll completed an internship with the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit in Quantico, Virginia and in 1995 he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.  At Michigan State he graduated in 1998 with a master’s degree in Criminal Justice.

“Family is my top priority, says Chief Carroll, married to his wife Shannon for 12 years; they have a 9-year-old son.  “We enjoy boating and fishing.  Our son enjoys playing baseball.  He currently plays in a league at the Arnold Athletic Association.”

Handling Challenges

The Chief makes a candid observation:  “There seems to be a lack of support for law enforcement in various parts of the country.  That is not the case here in Arnold.  We are fortunate to have support from our city residents, business leaders and elected officials.   As an organization we never want to take this for granted.  Having a major thoroughfare in our city (I-55) can make us an easy target for the criminal element.  Similar to other nearby cities, our community saw an increase in property crimes.  Thefts from motor vehicles have increased throughout the region.  It’s our job as a law enforcement agency to prevent this type of crime.  Our public relations training officer works with various community enterprises to educate them on steps they can take to prevent being victimized.  Also, we have identified areas where these crimes are more common and increased our patrols accordingly.

Arnold Police Department logo

“When I became police chief in April of 2022, one of my top priorities was to continue to build positive relationships between our agency and the community.  I feel this partnership is essential for our agency to be successful.  We are fortunate in our agency to be able to assign various officers to specialized units.

“One of these units, the Business Resource Officer Unit, has helped us build a closer partnership with our business community.  This partnership has allowed us to put an extra emphasis on curtailing retail theft throughout our community.  Retail theft has been on the rise across the nation, and as such, created a need for a more specific officer response.

“Another Unit, the Crime Suppression Unit, has been instrumental in helping our department address challenges in our city.  This unit can be deployed to address increased criminal activity in a particular area so that such issues do not become permanent.  For example, this unit helped our city identify several known ‘drug houses’ and with the help of city officials these homes were condemned leading to safer neighborhoods in our community.

“Our Public Relations Training Officer Josh Lambrich has been a key to educating the public about crisis situations and  building positive relationships in Arnold.  Officer Lambrich has implemented positive programs.  School training helps prepare our educators for what to do during an active shooter situation.  Teller Awareness training focuses on situational awareness in the banking industry.  House of Worship training highlights not only active shooter situations, but theft, trespassing, and/or how to respond during a medical event.  The Neighborhood Watch program helps increase awareness among neighbors to reduce crime.  Business training combines leadership, de-escalation, theft/robbery, and active shooter situations.

Chief Carroll concludes, “In addition “We have a full time detective detached to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department to address cybercrime and related situations. This position was created because the need for this type of investigation has increased. He is currently in the Forensics Unit within the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and we are able to utilize the resources of the Sheriff’s Department to address this type of crime.”

By spearheading such law enforcement initiatives, Chief Carroll is establishing new directives for the Arnold Police Department and strengthening its dedication to public service.