Patrol Division

The Audrain County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division is responsible for patrolling 682 square miles of unincorporated Audrain County, and provides full law enforcement services for approximately 14,000 residents. While we typically do not answer calls for service in municipalities, we do provide primary law enforcement services for residents of the City of Vandalia, and we have jurisdiction over a population of approximately 26,096 residents, all of whom receive some sort of statutory service from their Sheriff’s Office.

The Patrol Division is the most visible division and perform functions that most people associate with law enforcement. Those are the deputies out in the field answering calls for service, conducting criminal investigations, enforcing traffic laws and making on-view criminal arrests. The investigations Unit, K9 Unit and School Resource Deputies all fall within the Patrol Division.

In a typical year we deal with roughly 12,000 incidents total. Those incidents include business checks, car stops, paper service, miscellaneous calls for service, and reported crimes. That is about 33 incidents per day. There are 9 uniformed deputies assigned to the patrol division that handle most of these incidents as they occur. There are 4 deputies that are assigned to investigations to try and bring these incidents to closure after the initial report is taken and investigated. As you can see, your Sheriff’s Office stays busy. Those 12,000 incidents will result in approximately 750 crime reports being written and investigated.

Investigations

The Audrain County Sheriff’s Office is committed to solving crime through thorough investigations of reported criminal activity. Currently there are 2 Sheriff’s Deputies assigned to the field to investigate criminal activity beyond the initial call for service.

Additionally, a Detective is assigned to analyze electronic devices seized as a result of criminal investigations and monitor jail communications to gather evidence for criminal investigations.

On more than one occasion, investigations have led to the discovery of new crimes, such as possessing child pornography, which is located while analyzing data from an unrelated crime. The Audrain County Sheriff’s Office typically analyzes about 100 electronic devices per year, some of which can take days to properly examine.

In early 2018, through a partnership with the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the Audrain County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Audrain County Law Enforcement Restitution Fund, the Sheriff’s Office was able to fund a full time Detective to conduct follow up on cases of Domestic and Sexual Violence county wide.

The Detective is assigned any case of Domestic or Sexual Violence reported to the Sheriff’s Office and additionally, follows up on any of the same type of cases submitted to the Audrain County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office by any other law enforcement agency (Mexico Public Safety Department, Vandalia Police, Laddonia Police, Missouri State Highway Patrol, etc.).

School Resource Officer (SRO)

The Audrain County Sheriff’s Office currently partners with Van-Far Schools and Community R6 Schools to provide Sheriff’s Deputies as a resource to the school districts. This partnership began in 2014 and was expanded in 2018 as the partnership saw the need to further ensure the safety of our children.

Jail Division

The Jail Division contains staff members that are vital to the statutory role of Sheriffs in Missouri. The staff members that work in the Audrain County Jail are a combination of civilians and state certified Sheriff’s Deputies. In the average year, we will book about 1500 persons into the Audrain County Jail. On average, the Audrain County Jail will house about 70 inmates per day.

Revised Statutes of Missouri, Chapter 221-

221.020.  Sheriffs to be jailers— Except as otherwise provided in this section and sections 221.400 to 221.420, the sheriff of each county in this state shall have the custody, rule, keeping and charge of the jail within his county, and of all the prisoners in such jail, and may appoint a jailer under him, for whose conduct he shall be responsible. 

221.040.  Sheriff and jailer to receive prisoners — penalty for refusal — medical exams required. — 1.  It shall be the duty of the sheriff and jailer to receive, from constables and other officers, all persons who shall be apprehended by such constable or other officers, for offenses against this state, or who shall be committed to such jail by any competent authority; and if any sheriff or jailer shall refuse to receive any such person or persons, he or she shall be adjudged guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction shall be fined in the discretion of the court.

Court Services Division

The Audrain County Sheriff’s Office Court Services Division consists of four Sheriff’s Deputies and is based in the Audrain County Courthouse. The deputies there are responsible for fulfilling the statutory duties of the Sheriff to provide security for the courts while in session and transporting inmates to and from court, as well as extraditing prisoners back to Audrain County from other parts of the state and from other states.

In a typical year, a total of 1,250 inmates will be transported nearly 47,000 total miles by the Court Services Division for court appearances, medical appointments, etc. (Some of these transports involve multiple transports for the same inmate to multiple court appearances, doctor’s appointments, etc.)

A fifth Deputy is assigned to serve orders and notices to appear issued by the courts, which averages around 2000 papers per year.

Revised Statutes of Missouri, Chapter 57

57.090.  To attend courts — when. — Sheriffs shall attend each division of the circuit court presided over by a circuit or associate circuit judge held in their counties, when so directed by the court; and it shall be the duty of the officer attending any court to furnish stationery, fuel, and other things necessary for the use of the court whenever ordered by the court.

Missouri Supreme Court Rule 54.13. Personal Service Within the State

(a) By Whom Made. Service of process within the state, except as otherwise provided by law, shall be made by the sheriff or a person over the age of 18 years who is not a party to the action.

Administration Division

Nearly every sheriff’s office has a Chief Deputy or Under Sheriff. In our office, the Chief Deputy position is second in command of the organization and Major James Shrader holds that position. The Chief Deputy reports only to the Sheriff and oversees all divisions of the Sheriff’s Office and is responsible for their efficient operations. The Chief Deputy’s duties include, but are not limited to, the enforcement of the Sheriff’s policies and procedures, managing and conducting criminal investigations, coordinating training for the Sheriff’s Office staff, and overseeing the Sheriff’s Office vehicle fleet.  

To contact Major James Shrader call (573) 473-5801, Extension 1545.

Administrative Staff

The administrative staff that manages the "business" side of the Sheriff's Office currently consist of one Certified Deputy Sheriff and one civilian employee. In addition to financial and operational responsibilities, they have daily contact with the public in the office and by phone.

The administrative staff coordinates all clerical and record keeping duties for the Sheriff's Office, including:

• Accounts payable

• Accounts receivable

• Civil paper processing  

• Processing bonds

• Court returns, both criminal and civil

• Print new/renewal CCW permit ID cards

• Sex Offender Registrations

• Open Records Requests