THREE VYING FOR PERRY COUNTY SHERIFF'S SEAT

PERRYVILLE -- Republican Sheriff Gary Schaaf and challenger Tom Burger will face off in the August primary, but unchallenged Democrat Raymond Detjen can relax for now.

Voters will choose between Schaaf, a one-term sheriff, and Burger, a 30-year veteran of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, to run in the November general election for Perry County sheriff.

Schaaf, 39, was a deputy sheriff for four years and Perryville police chief for seven before winning the sheriff's seat in 1992. He beat out Franklin "Dutch" Schmidt for the position.

He takes the credit for several improvements in the sheriff's department, including more competent staff, better communication with the public and 24-hour law enforcement coverage. Prior to his election, there were sometimes eight-hour periods with no deputies on duty, Schaaf said.

His latest accomplishment is a 60 percent clearance rate on burglaries in 1995. National crime statistics point to a 13 percent average clearance rate in the Midwest.

Schaaf said he wants to continue a positive trend he started.

"We're collecting money for a drug dog and continuing to computerize the department," he said.

Schaaf's and his wife, Tamara, live in Perryville and have three children.

Burger, Schaaf's Republican challenger, questioned the 60 percent burglary clearance rate, implying that Schaaf's definition of a cleared case may not be everyone's definition. He also said there was room for improvement in the department's leadership.

"I think the sheriff's department needs more professionalism and supervision of their officers," Burger said. "I don't think they have anywhere to look for leadership and guidance in their everyday duties. They're left on their own."

He said his 30 years of hands-on law enforcement in the highway patrol would help him supervise deputies and explain how to accomplish tasks efficiently.

The former highway patrolman also wants to improve relations between the city police and the Perry County Sheriff's Department, which he said have deteriorated under Schaaf's leadership.

Burger is 52 years old and lives in Perryville. His wife, Kristen, is a secretary at Chester Grade School, and the couple have three grown children and two still at home.

Democrat Detjen worked in the sheriff's department under Schaaf for nearly four years before resigning in June. He said an incident soon after Schaaf's election sealed his decision to run.

It was Schaaf's sixth day on the job, Detjen said, and the new sheriff sent a 21-year-old, inexperienced deputy out by himself to check on an incident involving a man with a history of police run-ins. The man shot Deputy Keith Tarrillion in the head, hand and back.

Detjen said Tarrillion, who survived, shouldn't have handled the incident alone. Since Detjen's decision to run, the candidate has mentioned other instances where he didn't agree with Schaaf's judgment, but said he isn't running because of sour grapes.

"I am experienced, trustworthy and capable of doing the job of sheriff," Detjen said. "I know this county inside and out."

He said he would like to do more to fight drugs in Perry County and said a large drug bust on Gremaud's Island in 1988 was the highlight of his career. During that incident, thousands of marijuana plants were discovered on the island and two people were arrested.

Detjen received his law enforcement training at the University of Missouri in Columbia and has had 400 hours of schooling. He has served on the Missouri Child Fatality Review Panel and worked more than 15 years for the Perry County Sheriff's Department.

Detjen's wife, Evelyn, works at Gilster-Mary Lee. The couple have two grown children and three grandchildren and live in about two miles outside Perryville.