NEWS RELEASE



For further information please contact:

Capt. J. Tim Hull(573) 526-6115

Q11067

November 6, 2006

EMPHASIS: A Message From Patrol Superintendent Colonel James F. Keathley





“During the month of October, I met with Patrol employees at each location of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. I believe deeply in the Patrol’s mission to serve and protect all people by enforcing laws and providing services to ensure a safe and secure environment. I conveyed this message to each and every employee at the troop meetings previously mentioned.



Not only has there been a change in superintendent--Governor Blunt appointed me following the September 1, 2006 retirement of Colonel Roger Stottlemyre-- there have also been changes in the command staff. With my appointment and these new staff members, the methods used to carry out the Patrol’s mission may vary from the past administration. I have four strategies on which I intend to focus for the future of the Patrol. Training within the Patrol will mirror these same strategies:



Traffic/Work Zone Enforcement

Homeland Security

Crimes Against Persons and Property

Department Management



Regarding Traffic/Work Zone Enforcement -- Reducing fatalities and injuries is paramount. Aggressive drivers cause accidents and have a negative impact on safe drivers. Drunk drivers kill over 250 people each year in Missouri. There is no tolerance for drunk or impaired driving. Seat belt compliance in Missouri has gone down by 2.3 percent. The Patrol will continue the zero tolerance for seat belt violators. Over 100 lives could be saved each year if everyone would wear a seat belt. Speed enforcement, identifying criminals during traffic stops, and construction zone/work zone enforcement are all important methods to protecting the motoring public and our highway workers. The mere presence of a trooper on our highways has a positive effect on traffic safety and driver awareness.





Homeland Security requires an understanding and participation in the intelligence gathering and disseminating process. Continued exercise in preparedness, command level accountability, and statewide situational awareness are a must in today’s world. Missouri’s 32,000 miles of roadways and bridges are key economic assets, as our state’s transportation system is the heartland of our nation’s infrastructure. It is the Highway Patrol’s responsibility to safeguard this vital system. The Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) is now staffed 24/7 and is our state’s fusion center. All public safety information and intelligence is monitored and disseminated to the proper agencies and personnel from the MIAC 24 hours a day.



Crimes Against Persons and Property -- We intend to increase our Division of Drug and Crime Control officer compliment to provide better service in fighting and investigating crime. We will continue to encourage our officers to look beyond the initial traffic stop for other criminal activity. Quality traffic stops result in criminal arrests, and we will continue our cooperative efforts with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to better protect our citizens.



Department Management -- I am extremely honored and humbled to be selected by Governor Matt Blunt to lead this great agency. For 75 years, the Missouri State Highway Patrol has served and protected the citizens of Missouri. I pledge this continued commitment during my tenure as superintendent. I promise all Patrol employees and Missouri citizens I will work diligently to continue to make this organization an agency that is progressive, accountable, trusted, and respected. The Patrol’s budget is primarily from the highway fund, appropriated by the general assembly from a portion of the 17 cents per gallon sales tax on gasoline, driver’s license/registration fees, and sales tax on motor vehicles. I pledge to Missourians that the Patrol will show accountability when planning for and spending these precious tax dollars.

My business plan and departmental management philosophy is designed to reflect accountability and efficiency at all levels within the agency. Our decisions are based on positive answers from the following questions: Is it moral? Is it legal? Is it ethical? Does it make business sense and does it make common sense? Will it assist us in completing our mission?



The cornerstone of the Patrol’s enforcement efforts has always been and will continue to be traffic safety and enforcement. Again, our four strategic issues are: traffic safety, crimes against persons and property, homeland security, and department management. Every Patrol employee contributes to at least one of these strategies during each workday. I sincerely appreciate the ongoing efforts of all Patrol employees to work in unison to make the Missouri State Highway Patrol the premier state law enforcement agency in the country.”