Cape County Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson announces intent to run for reelection

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson has been the county’s chief law enforcement officer for about a year and a half, and Wednesday she announced she wants to stay on the job for at least another four years.

Speaking before a gathering of nearly 100 supporters at the Concourse in Cape Girardeau on Wednesday evening, Dickerson said she intends to file for reelection on the Republican ballot as the county’s first and only woman to ever serve as the county’s sheriff.

The filing period for countywide office candidates is Feb. 25 through March 1.

Cape Girardeau County resident Charles A. “Drew” Juden III, former director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety and a 38-year veteran of the Sikeston, Missouri, Department of Public Safety, announced in December he, too, is seeking the sheriff’s position and intends to put his name on the Republican ballot.

Dickerson’s announcement guarantees a primary election for sheriff Aug. 4 ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

Dickerson, who has served in the sheriff’s department more than 34 years, was named interim sheriff of Cape Girardeau County in August 2018 following the resignation of John Jordan after 23 years in office, making him the longest-serving sheriff in the county’s history. Jordan left the position to become a U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of Missouri.

In November 2018, a special election was held and Dickerson was elected to serve out the remainder of Jordan’s unexpired term.

Dickerson, a lifelong resident of Cape Girardeau County, worked her way through the ranks of the sheriff’s department and was second in command as captain of business operations before being named interim sheriff.

She is the 44th person to serve as the county’s sheriff, dating back to 1805.

In announcing her bid for reelection, Dickerson pointed to several accomplishments and ongoing projects, including the department’s ongoing work with the City of Jackson to establish a combined communications and 911 dispatch center. Blending the city’s and county’s dispatch operations is expected to save the city and county millions of dollars.

Among her other accomplishments as sheriff has been securing a $550,000 grant to acquire new records management software that will benefit her department as well as the Cape Girardeau and Jackson police departments.

Under her watch, the sheriff also developed an agreement to add a school resource officer at Nell Holcomb School, something she hopes to do at other county schools as well.

Dickerson also created the position of jail safety and criminal investigator in the Cape Girardeau County Jail. It is the responsibility of that person to investigate and seek prosecution for those who commit criminal acts while incarcerated in the jail.

“In the 18 months I have been sheriff, we have not had one major incident in our jail,” she said.

“These are just a few of the examples of projects undertaken and changes made since becoming sheriff,” Dickerson said at her campaign kickoff. “But just as importantly, I have continued the proven policies and procedures put in place by previous administrations that have helped make the sheriff office the outstanding department it is today.”