Suspended Callaway County sheriff permanently loses policing license
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The suspended sheriff of Callaway County has permanently lost his license to be a law enforcement officer.
Clay Chism's peace officer license has been revoked, a Missouri Department of Public Safety spokesperson said Tuesday. A judge suspended Chism after he was charged in Randolph County with DWI. Missouri law requires sheriffs to have a valid peace officer's license.
The state’s Administrative Hearing Commission decided on Feb. 16 that there was enough evidence for the Department of Public Safety to take action against Chism’s license. A March 11 hearing followed.
Both Chism’s attorney and the Department of Public Safety agreed that Chism had on at least three occasions been caught or confronted for drinking alcohol. Chism says he is now sober.
Judge Brouck Jacobs removed Chism from office in June after county officials confronted Chism about buying and drinking liquor on the job that month. The state suspended his peace officer’s license on June 9.
Chism was arrested and charged for driving while intoxicated in Randolph County in October 2022. Chism was charged with DWI and resisting arrest but the prosecutor dropped the resisting charge when Chism pleaded guilty in December 2023.
Missouri law requires sheriffs to have a valid peace officer's license.
According to the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the Director of Public Safety was granted the authority to revoke a peace office license in 1988. The first time an officer had a license revoked in Missouri was in 1992. Since then 671 officers in Missouri have had their licenses revoked as of December 31, 2023. An additional 599 officers have surrendered their license.
