Joplin's new police chief to start work Monday

Debby Woodin, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·2 min read

Dec. 12—A swearing-in ceremony for Joplin's new police chief, Richard Pearson, is slated for Monday.

The ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall, 602 S. Main St.

Pearson will be welcomed by the department's command staff and employees as well as city officials. City Clerk Holly Nagy will administer the oath for the post.

He was selected to succeed Chief Sloan Rowland, who retired after serving with Joplin Police Department for 20 years during a 35-year law enforcement career.

Four candidates interviewed here in August and met with residents. One of those finalists was the current interim chief, Brian Lewis.

Pearson left a job as captain of the Jefferson County Public School System Police Department in Louisville, Kentucky, to come to Joplin. He previously served 22 years in the Louisville Metro Police Department and taught in the criminal justice department of Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg, Indiana.

While at the Louisville Metro Department, he was commander of the Clandestine Meth Lab Response Team and patrol commander.

He holds a master's degree in science and a bachelor's degree in justice administration from the University of Louisville. He graduated from the FBI's National Police Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and the Southern Police Institute in Louisville. He is currently finishing his doctorate in criminal justice at Saint Leo University in St. Leo, Florida.

When he visited Joplin for the interview process, residents asked him about how he would handle police issues related to those who are without homes.

He said many homeless people are experiencing mental illness or drug addiction. He said he would work with other local agencies to provide basic services to the homeless population.

"Instead of having all these homeless camps in bushes and behind shrubs and in dangerous places, we would want to get them into a part of town where they could be safe and where they could be together so we could provide them services," Pearson said then.

The swearing-in ceremony is open to the public.