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Police chief outlines staffing gains, community programs and 2026 goals at Joplin council meeting
Summary
Chief Rich Pearson told the council the department has 87 officers currently available, a fully operational co‑responder unit, two straight years with zero homicides, and plans for a sixth downtown patrol beat and a dispatch training pipeline with the school district in 2026.
Chief Rich Pearson told the Joplin City Council on Monday that the police department is making progress on staffing and community programs and outlined priorities for 2026 including a new downtown patrol beat, improved radio interoperability and an interdiction team for I‑44.
In an informal department update, Pearson said the department is authorized for 115 sworn officers and reported 11 vacancies; at the time of his presentation he said 87 officers were actively available to patrol. He described several 2025 accomplishments: a co‑responder unit restored with three civilian co‑responders from the Ozark Center, a LEHI platoon credited with a recent high‑profile operation that removed "13 or 14 guns off the street," and a large fentanyl seizure that he said represented a substantial number of potential overdose deaths prevented.
Pearson also described community programs: the second annual Kids Academy worked with the Joplin School District and hosted approximately 200 children in 2025; the department ran two Citizens Police Academy classes that graduated 29 residents; and the department partnered with McPherson law firm on an expungement clinic that screened 246 people, narrowed to 62 who qualified, and he said 25 cases will be expunged on Jan. 29 in Jasper County Court.
Goals for 2026 highlighted in the briefing include creating a sixth patrol beat focused on the downtown business district, building a pipeline for telecommunicator/dispatcher positions with the Joplin High School, improving the firing‑range facility, achieving radio interoperability through MoSWIN and standing up a part‑time highway interdiction team for I‑44. Pearson said reestablishing a police motorcycle unit is a public‑relations and engagement priority but will require funding and training.
Council reaction and follow‑up: Council member Jackson asked how many miles of I‑44 lie inside Joplin city limits; Pearson said he "did not have the exact number" and would provide that figure later. The mayor and council thanked Pearson for the update; the meeting closed the informal session and moved on to the regular council session.
Direct quotes from the record include Pearson’s summary of a key public‑safety statistic: "For the 2nd year straight 0 homicides," and his scheduling note on the expungements: "25 cases will be expunged on January 29." Where the transcript shows numeric uncertainty ("13 or 14 guns"), the article preserves that uncertainty rather than asserting a precise number.
