SHERIFF

Elected as commanding officer for the Howell County Sheriff's Office in 2021, Sheriff Campbell is a 1994 graduate of the West Plains High School. In 1999, he graduated from Moberly Area Community College Law Enforcement Training Center Academy with a Class-B license. He graduated first in his class and became a full-time Patrol Officer in Howell County, Missouri. In addition to the academy core classes, Sheriff Campbell has completed over twenty-eight hundred (2,800) hours of professional development in Law Enforcement with a concentration in clandestine lab operations, illegal drug investigations, and leadership development, presented by various agencies accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and approved Department of Public Safety providers. Having served approximately two years as a Patrol Officer, he was selected for a position within the regional Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit, where he served as a team member executing operations consisting of High Risk Apprehension Response, Barricaded Subject Response, Personal Security Details and Event Security Details.  Sheriff Campbell has over 20 years of experience as a full-time Law Enforcement Officer in the State of Missouri. He has been assigned as a Patrol Officer with the Howell County Sheriff’s Office and an Investigator with a concentration in illegal methamphetamine operations under the Missouri Sheriff’s Methamphetamine Relief Team program.  In 2003, Sheriff Campbell was selected for employment within the multi-jurisdictional South Central Drug Task Force; a federally funded program coordinated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, where he has conducted over 17 years of overt and covert Narcotic/Vice Operations throughout Howell, Ozark, Douglas, Ripley, Oregon, Carter, Wright, Texas, Shannon, Dent, Reynolds, Phelps, and Pulaski counties in southern Missouri. During his service with South Central Drug Task Force, Sheriff Campbell has been assigned as a Team Leader for six of those years and has been involved in multitudinous operations resulting in the reduction of the manufacturing and distribution of illegal drugs, and the associated crimes.

During his 20 years of service, Sheriff Campbell has had an array of law enforcement experiences in general felony investigations with narcotics nexus to include: child endangerment, burglary, sexual offenses, kidnapping, robbery, arsons, theft/stealing, weapons offenses, gambling, offenses against family, assaults, murder for hire, large and small scale narcotics distribution conspiracies, criminal gang activity, and homicide. In the execution of these investigations, whether primarily or jointly, Sheriff Campbell has built relationships with numerous federal and state agencies: Eastern and Western United States Attorney’s Office; Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau; Homeland Security Department; Internal Revenue Service; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; United States Department of Treasury; United States Postal Service; Forest Service; Missouri Department of Conservation; Missouri Department of Corrections; Missouri Department of Natural Resources; Missouri State Park Rangers; Missouri State Fire Marshal Investigations Unit; Missouri State Highway Patrol; Children’s Division; Numerous other County and City Law Enforcement agencies; and the associated Narcotics/Vice Units of bordering states.

In 2007, after noting his specialized area of expertise, Sheriff Campbell was selected as a member of the Steering Committee on guidelines and steps for the safe removal of children from methamphetamine labs. In 2019, he served as a member of a panel addressing the trends leading to the epidemic of opioid and substance abuse at the four-state Region VII Opioid and Substance Abuse Conference. Sheriff Campbell is a licensed Department of Public Safety Instructor who teaches approved courses in the area of Interpersonal Perspectives, Legal Studies, Technical Studies, and Skill Development in the field of Law Enforcement. He has been honored with the opportunity to be a guest speaker at various civic organizations and distinct events to provide discussion on trends and effects of illegal drugs. Understanding that education is key in combating the illegal drug epidemic, Sheriff Campbell has assisted in the training of and provided resources to local law enforcement to improve their ability to identify and investigate illegal drug use and drug operations. He is a Training Coordinator for the local Crisis Intervention Team and a Howell County Law Enforcement Representative for Missouri Association of Treatment Court Professionals.

Sheriff Campbell has earned several law enforcement awards: Award of Instructor Certification, Award of Hazardous Materials Certification and Award of Service with four Stars (20+ years). He has also earned a SWAT Officer Skill Badge and has maintained a State of Missouri Peace Officer License since 1999. Sheriff Campbell has received numerous letters of commendation and certificates of recognition for his exceptional performance from various local, state and federal agencies and districts. Beyond his law enforcement associations, Sheriff Campbell is active in other social organizations: lifetime member of the Missouri Cattleman’s Association, South Central Missouri Cattleman’s Association and Executive Committee member, alumni of Future Farmers of America, National Rifle Association, North American Hunting Club, National Turkey Federation, and the Quail Forever Federation. Sheriff Campbell has been married to Jenni Campbell since 2005 and they are proudly raising four children. He is also actively involved in managing his fifth-generation family ranch. Sheriff Campbell and Jenni are proud to serve the citizens of Howell County through their careers in law enforcement and public education and look forward to building a better home for their children and the children of their fellow Missourians.

"True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less"