Missouri public safety director announces retirement

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Sandra Karsten will retire next month, according to a Wednesday press release from the governor’s office.

Karsten will retire at the end of Gov. Mike Parson’s term on Jan. 13, the release says. She was appointed to the position on Aug. 27, 2018. She had served with the Missouri State Highway Patrol for 33 years, the release says.

She was the first woman to lead the Department of Public Safety and was the first woman in MSHP history to attain the ranks of lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel and colonel, the release says.

“It has been my great honor to serve the people of Missouri and to work to make this a safer state for more than 39 years,”Karsten said in the release. “I’ve been extremely fortunate to work with dedicated and committed professionals at the Highway Patrol, the Department of Public Safety, and with our public safety partners across the state. Missourians are fortunate to be served by dedicated and capable public safety professionals. I am grateful to the many public safety leaders I have had a chance to work with over almost four decades and am especially appreciative of Governor Parson for giving me the opportunity to serve in his administration.”

The release says she worked with Parson to develop the Missouri Blue Scholarship, which funds up to $5,000 in tuition to assist recruits attending Missouri law enforcement training academies. She also oversaw the expansion and restructuring of the Missouri Medical Assistance Team during the COVID-19 pandemic, the release says.

She also worked with Lincoln University to help establish and licensing the Lincoln University Law Enforcement Training Academy, the release says.