Cape Girardeau police officer running for Scott County sheriff

Hunter Juden wears many hats -- patrolman with the Cape Girardeau Police Department and chief of police in Morley, Missouri, among them -- and now he's throwing his hat in the ring to become sheriff of Scott County.

"I have always enjoyed being in law enforcement. It's something I've devoted my entire life to and something I plan to devote the rest of my life to," Juden said. "I love this community. I plan to become sheriff of this community and serve it to the best of my ability."

He officially announced his candidacy Tuesday, Sept. 19.

Juden grew up in Sikeston, Missouri, the son of that city's chief of police, and learned about law enforcement from a young age. He had previously worked for the Scott County Sheriff's Office from 2018 until 2022.

Juden said, if elected, he would promote community safety. One goal he said he has is cutting the number of command staff, hiring more deputies and paying them more.

"More boots on the ground, less people sitting behind a desk. That's how you do law enforcement," he said.

He also said he plans to add school resource officers to every school in the county. Some of them currently have such officers working there, but several do not due to budgetary reasons.

"It's sad to have to say that, but in today's America you have to have your kids and your schools protected," Juden said.

He said there are several good candidates to become school resource officers within the sheriff's office's existing personnel.

Juden said he wanted to hold increased checks for sex offenders and make sure they register properly. One measure he suggested was having more deputies patrol on Halloween to ensure sex offenders aren't handing out candy to children.

The Scott County Sheriff's Office had been subject to some disputes earlier in the year. One involved whether the county should have its dispatch center consolidated with Scott City's.

"I think a centralized dispatch, if ran correctly, could be very beneficial," Juden said. "However, then you have all your eggs in one basket if there's a major incident or an earthquake."

He said the idea of consolidation was worth discussing, but a backup plan would still be required.

Another dispute revolved around the location of the sheriff's physical offices. At the start of the year, county commissioners requested they be moved from their own building to above the county jail. Current Sheriff Wes Drury said the space wouldn't be large enough.

Juden said the main priority should just be keeping the sheriff's offices in the center of the county.

"I plan to work with all the elected officials in Scott County ... as I've referred to them, the 'elected family'", he said. "I think the only way we get a better Scott County is for all of us to work together."

Juden said, if elected, he would retire from all other law enforcement positions he currently has.