The mission of the Platte County Sheriff's Office is to enforce the law, preserve the peace and establish good order in our county and to provide a safe and secure environment for our citizens.

We acknowledge that in a representative democracy the sheriff, his deputies and staff are accountable to the very people who elect the sheriff, the citizens of Platte County. As such, we treat each and every one of them with respect and apply the law equally to all, regardless of station.

As citizens ourselves, we do not defer to the people nor dictate to them. Rather we look upon them as partners in the active pursuit of peace and public safety, and we assist them and they us. We are custodians of the peoples' trust. As such, we owe the people our unconditional honesty, our courage, our compassion, and a deep respect for their rights, and their property, individual and collective.

Do we have a higher obligation to fairness and justice than the ordinary citizen? Yes, we do. The citizens of Platte County must always be able to depend on us, in any circumstance, however difficult. They have every right to expect not just a passive presence, but wisdom, temperament, character, competence of a high order and service above and beyond the call of duty, and we can not disappoint them.

Ours is more than a job. It's a calling. It's a privilege. We are among the few Americans whose work encourages honor and inspires respect on a daily basis.

May we always appreciate the opportunity we've been given.