Answering the Call: Bollinger County sheriff likes interaction job brings

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Bollinger County Sheriff Leo McElrath, 61, is a year and a half into his first term in the office. While he enjoyed his 27 years with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, McElrath, who also served four years in the U.S. Army, likes being a sheriff because he can better interact with the people of Bollinger County. As long he has his health, McElrath said, he'll do whatever he can to make Bollinger County a safe place.

Q: Can you recall what initially sparked your interest in law enforcement?

A: Yes, when I was in the service in 1970 there was a big push for military people to apply for law enforcement jobs when they got out of the service because there was shortage of police officers. I saw that as a career opportunity. So when I got out, I started applying for a job as a police officer and the first one I applied for was the [Missouri] State Highway Patrol because I thought that was probably the elite law enforcement job in Missouri. I was lucky enough to get selected.

Q: What was the hiring process like?

A: It was pretty intense back then. It took quite a long time to get selected. First you had to fill out an application, of course, at the troop headquarters and then you were called later to return to headquarters and then they gave you a written test. After that you had to go take a physical. If they agreed the results of the physical suited them, then they called you to Jefferson City, where you sat before an interview board. When I was up there, there were 40 jobs and there were 4,000 applicants. Somehow I managed to make the cut.

Q: What was your career like with the highway patrol?

A: I worked as a road officer the whole time, the whole 27 years. I was a trooper and worked my way up to a zone commander and retired as a sergeant in Cape Girardeau. It was very rewarding; I enjoyed every minute of it. I never really found any part of it to be boring. I finally decided it was time to retire and do something different and then this came up. I took a couple years to just do nothing and I did some remodeling, did some handyman work, that sort of thing.

Q: What helped you make the decision to get back into law enforcement?

A: Mostly it's about working with people. You miss the interaction with people, that's the biggest thing. You try to work with people and you try to do the things that help them and help the public. Those are the kinds of things that make this job exciting.

Q: What about your experience makes you a good sheriff?

A: Probably my training in the law and my ability to interpret the law by being involved in it for all these years. Also, the fact I try not to ever meet a stranger. I try to be cordial to everyone and I try to talk to anyone that wants to talk to me. Even some of those that don't want to talk to me I try to strike up a conversation. I try to get people to talk to me so I can try to get to know the community.

Q: What sort of things do you do daily?

A: I'm a hands-on type of administrator. I pretty well want to know what's going on with everything, and I have assistants that help me direct the troops and keep everything straight, but I like to know what's going on. Like yesterday, we had three search warrants to serve and I went along on that. I don't just sit in the office, I participate and go out with the troops. I handle just about everything.

Q: What sort of trends are you seeing in crime in Bollinger County?

A: Here in Bollinger County, we see a lot of child molestation mostly and a lot of drugs. Of course, I don't feel like there's any more drugs in Bollinger County than there is anywhere else. Everywhere you look, there's a drug problem. It's one of those things that society has just settled with -- you can get drugs anywhere you want them. It's just going to be there until some solution is found where people do not want them.

Q: What do you want to accomplish before you retire again?

A: I intend to be here for at least one more term, maybe more if my health holds out. I still enjoy getting up every morning and coming to work. I still enjoy the people I work with and the challenge of the job. Every day is a new day. It's not one of those jobs where you actually get tired of the job. No two days are the same -- that's what makes law enforcement interesting. I guess my career goal would be just to continue to make this place a better place.

ehevern@semissourian.com

388-3635