(From Sen. Jill Carter, R-Granby)Ten days ago, my husband and I received *the* call—the one that haunts every parent. Our 17-year-old son lay in the ditch on a backroad curve, crumpled and disoriented after a violent crash. Time fractured. Fear choked us. Yet piercing through the chaos were the steady voices of Neosho’s first responders and a Newton County Deputy.
Their calm competence anchored us. Miraculously, our son walked away with only severe whiplash and a concussion- and with a personal testimony of what it means to have a stranger, law enforcement, and first responders, Sheriff, and the Highway Patrol answer a call for help.
That day crystallized what years working alongside law enforcement had already shown: when society frays, first responders are the rivets holding us together.
As a partner to Missouri’s sheriffs—and deeply humbled by this year’s Missouri Sheriffs Association Leadership Award—I’ve seen their sacrifice far beyond trauma scenes. Now, we are channeling that partnership into concrete action:
1. Securing Justice & Protecting Kids
Working with the Attorney General’s Office, we accomplished stiffer penalties against violent offenders—especially those exploiting porous borders.
2. Working with regional law enforcement, it became clear we need to do something to protect our kids online. Missouri’s Cyber Crimes Task Force deploys critical resources to safeguard children online. Predators evolve; our defenses must too.
3. Fixing Broken Retirement Rules
Many officers retire early due to the job’s grueling physical toll yet still yearn to serve. We’re fighting to pass “return-to-work” legislation, mirroring Missouri’s recent teacher pension reforms. Allowing retired deputies to rejoin part-time without pension penalties retains irreplaceable expertise.
4. Protecting Local Accountability
Some states are relegating sheriffs to mere agents of the court. Missouri’s sheriffs must remain accountable to their counties—a bulwark against federal or state overreach that tramples constitutional rights. Enshrining the sheriff’s role in Missouri’s Constitution ensures they remain independent guardians of our liberties.
5. Cashless Bonding & Safer Communities
Federal inaction on cashless bonding reforms has left a gaping hole in our justice system. Missouri is leading the charge to adopt policies ensuring violent offenders face penalties.
This isn’t theory.
When those responders pulled my son from wreckage, their *training* and *tools* were all that stood between tragedy and hope. Ensuring they have both isn’t charity—it’s survival.
The Leadership Award isn’t mine alone—it belongs to every deputy who patrols graveyard shifts, every detective who hunts child predators, every EMT who faces unthinkable trauma.
Honoring them demands action.
We will keep working until:
- Retired heroes can return without penalty,
- Cyber units have resources to shield our children,
- Sheriffs remain independent protectors of our rights,
- And justice is uncompromising for those who prey on Missourians.
To the First responders, Missouri sheriffs, and all who race toward danger: you stitch our brokenness into resilience. —we owe you unwavering support. Because next time that call comes, it could be for any of us.
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