Fair Grove hires new police chief, the city's fifth in 5 years
Fair Grove has a new police chief, again. The newest man to be appointed to the job will be the fifth to serve in that role since 2020.
Mayor Thomas Voorhis announced in a Facebook post that Mark Riggin has been hired as police chief. Riggin served as the chief of the Willard School Police Agency, establishing the K-12 school-based law enforcement program. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree from Evangel University.
Riggin graduated from the United States Army Military Police School in 1989. He served in the New Jersey and Missouri Army National Guard as a military policeman, according to the announcement. After his military service, Riggin joined the Springfield Police Department, where he served for more than 24 years.
During his time at Willard School Police, he participated in developing policies and procedures that enhanced safety within the school environment. In his latest role as the school police program coordinator with the Missouri School Boards Association, Riggin worked on school safety initiatives, providing training and support to K-12 safety coordinators and law enforcement personnel across the state, according to the release.
Riggin is filling a vacancy left by the departure in late January of the former chief, Roy Howell, which included a $32,800 severance. Prior to his resignation, Howell was placed on administrative leave. While the full circumstances behind the separation have not been disclosed, records obtained by the News-Leader previously pointed to a doorbell camera incident and the subsequent investigation that followed directed by Howell.
Voorhis told the News-Leader the city received roughly 30 applications for the job posting. The top 10 applicants were interviewed by the city's Police Committee and the Personnel Committee. The base salary for the position was set at $70,000, compared to $58,500 Howell was making, according to previous News-Leader reporting.
More: Fair Grove police chief resigns, receives $33,000 severance after administrative leave
Howell was hired March 2024 after a shakeup at the Fair Grove Police Department at the end of 2023 that left the department with only one fully trained officer. He was able to rebuild the staff to only one vacancy. A staff exodus that occurred with previous chiefs' departures did not occur when Howell was placed on leave or after he resigned.
Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Fair Grove hires Mark Riggin as police chief after years of turnover
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