LPD Open House

According to the Missouri Chiefs Association, based on the types and number of calls for the Licking community, nine full-time and one part-time officers are recommended for safety and efficiency.

Licking Police Department

The Licking Police Department is celebrating an Open House at their new facility located at 233 South Main Street on Friday, April 25, beginning with a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. The doors will open immediately after with refreshments, guest speakers and tours.

Government and local officials, community leaders, area law enforcement and organizations will be on hand to celebrate what is a first for the department, their own facility. The new facility allows space for officers to fulfill their duties with optimum efficiency, to expand their services locally and as necessary for the department to grow in the future.

A little bit of history tells the story of how the Licking Police Department (LPD) has grown from its beginnings. While the results and activities of law enforcement were not widely publicized in years past, their expansion to some degree has been recorded.

The construction of a jail was initiated in June 1934, located on the east side of Green Street and south of Highway 32; it was eventually torn down in 1988, and incarceration was transferred to the Texas County Jail.

“The lock often wouldn’t work correctly and when the law officer would put an intoxicated person in for the night, the individual would be back on Main Street before the officer did his rounds again,” citizens shared.

The Office of City Marshal of Licking was created in 1935, and for many years only one officer performed his duties out of city offices.

The Licking City Marshal acquired a two-way radio for his vehicle in January 1956, as did all Texas County law enforcement. The State of Missouri and Texas County equally contributed to the purchase. The use of ARPA money from the county commission in 2023-2024 brought newer radio technology to the Licking Police Department, as well as all county law enforcement.

A city ordinance passed on Tuesday, June 6, 1967, that gave the City Council and the Mayor the power to hire a police chief and police officers. The City of Licking now employs Chief of Police Pat Burton, Sergeant Brian Allgire, Corporal Kenny Santee, police officers Mike Wehling, Jimmy Mendenhall, Jeremy Anderson and Bobby Duncan, who is also Licking R-8 School Resource Officer (SRO). This staffing allows 24/7 law enforcement for community residents.

A police car for the LPD was purchased by the City of Licking in March 1968, and protection for the police department was enhanced with the receipt of bullet proof vests given from Missouri excess property at no cost to the city in 1987.

In 1985, the LPD relocated with City Hall from what is now the local fire station to its current location on Main Street. As the department continued to grow, the entire department continued to work from a single office. This resulted in significant challenges as all officers shared a single workstation, and interviews of victims, witnesses and subjects were conducted from the one-room office while regular business was still being conducted in that space. Additionally, since City Hall’s public restroom was located inside the Police Department, unescorted people were able to walk into the department while officers were out on patrol, creating a security challenge with very limited space to secure sensitive equipment and records.

An April 5, 2022, one-half cent law enforcement tax passed with Proposition P sales tax. This allowed for more competitive officer wages, assisting with recruitment and helping ensure the retention of experienced officers. The tax assisted with the purchase of firearms and ammunition, eliminating the need for the officer to provide these items for himself, as was necessary in the more recent past.

Newer technology and investigative tools are among the benefits now being utilized by the LPD for the security of the city. Newer vehicles were also obtained, which lowers regular maintenance costs and brings a higher resale value upon replacement.

With the addition of grant money continually pursued and received by the department, vehicles were outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and grant money provides allowance for overtime by officers as needed.

The new facility is designed to facilitate efficiency and productivity for the department and allows the sharing of resources with other area law enforcement. As the department advances in training, specialty training and areas of expertise it continues to be better equipped to keep our community safe.