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Election 2020

Sheriff Mike Neal announces bid for third term

Justin Addison Editor/Publisher
Posted 6/2/20

Howard County Sheriff Mike Neal announced he will seek a third term as the county's highest-ranking law enforcement officer in the general election in November. He will face Republican candidate and …

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Election 2020

Sheriff Mike Neal announces bid for third term

Posted

Howard County Sheriff Mike Neal announced he will seek a third term as the county's highest-ranking law enforcement officer in the general election in November. He will face Republican candidate and current Fayette Chief of Police Jeff Oswald.

Because Neal will once again run as an Independent, he was required him to gather around 100 signatures before his name could appear on the ballot. Neal turned in about 135 signatures to the county clerk. He said normally he would have acquired the necessary signatures months ago, but considering the COVID-19 pandemic, Neal was careful how he approached members of the public.

Neal has been a member of the Howard County Sheriff's Department for 28 years, starting January 1 of 1992 when he began working in the jail. In 2012 he was elected sheriff after he successfully challenged four-term incumbent Charlie Polson. He narrowly won re-election in 2016 in a three-way race against Polson and deputy Jerry Adams.

Neal is a life-long resident of Howard County. He graduated from Fayette High School before serving four years in the U. S. Navy and two years as a Naval reservist. He has been married to his wife, Paula, for 38 years. The couple has three children and eight grandchildren.

“I want to keep doing what I’m doing to try and make things better for Howard County as far as drugs and crime, and make it a safe place for everyone who lives here,” Neal said. “I live here, my children live here, my grandkids live here. I want to make it a good place to live.”

Neal said he pushes his department to take a proactive approach to law enforcement by keeping deputies on the road patrolling the county. At times that has been an obstacle for the department due to a shortage of manpower. He said the biggest challenge he faces as sheriff is attracting and retaining deputies. A small department in a rural county, the department often attracts officers fresh out of the academy who then move on to larger departments with better pay after a year or less. He said that low pay for deputies makes it difficult to keep officers and personnel at the jail, which is often short-staffed.

“It's just kind of sad when you look at the priorities of the county commission,” Neal said concerning wages paid to deputies and jail staff.

Neal said he asks the commission every year for pay increases for the department. He successfully lobbied for the commission to increase pay for deputies on duty working holidays. Neal also instituted comp time for his deputies who often exceed 40 hours of work in a week.

Other changes made over his two terms as sheriff include updated procedures at the county jail, technology upgrades that include computers and body cameras worn by officers, and upgrading the department’s fleet to 4x4 vehicles that can better traverse rough county roads. “We’ve come a long way with technology,” he said. If elected, he hopes to further increase technology and practices to further provide safety for jail staff.

The department has also been in long need of new radios. Currently, department vehicles are equipped with extenders, which help boost the signal from the hand-held radios deputies carry. New towers near Glasgow allow officers to use mobile telephones, but there are many places in rural sections of the county where there is no signal, and radios are ineffective. Radios with newer technology would allow deputies to transmit on the Missouri Statewide Interoperability Network (MOSWIN). Such upgrades, however, come with a heavy price tag of up to $70,000. 

Another issue that continues to be a problem is methamphetamine use in the county.

“Methamphetamine use is the worst thing I’ve ever seen,” Neal said. 

Of all the substances abused over the years such as marijuana, speed, and LSD, Neal said meth is by far the most destructive. And now it is being made even more dangerous by Mexican drug cartels that add fentanyl to the drug. Neal said his department arrests many of the same people over and over who continue to use the drug even after they are released from prison. And while the nation grips with the reality of the opioid epidemic, Neal says that here in Howard County, meth is still by far the major problem.

The sheriff’s department covers all 470 square miles that make up Howard County. Deputies also have the responsibilities of transporting prisoners and working in the county courtroom. Neal touts that his nearly three decades of experience in the department makes him a strong choice for voters. “I feel like I owe it to the people of the county. They’ve been good to me and I enjoy helping people,” Neal said.

Sheriff, Neal, Election 2020

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