The acting head of the Missouri State Highway Patrol may soon have the job permanently. Governor Mike Parson appointed Lt. Colonel Eric Olson as superintendent on Tuesday. Olson will continue to serve as acting superintendent until his appointment is confirmed by the Missouri Senate.
鈥淭his is certainly a humbling experience for me, and I would do my best to represent the patrol in a manner that鈥檚 consistent with those who have gone before me,鈥� Olson said.
Olson has been acting superintendent since September when Sandy Karsten was appointed as Director of the Department of Public Safety. Olson talked about the patrol鈥檚 decades-long history, but also cited his priorities for the future.
鈥淐losely examining the use of allocated resources, safety for all patrol employees, opportunities to improve public service, and strengthening diversity in recruiting for the agency will also receive my full attention,鈥� Olson said.
Olson also said the agency will continue to look at ways to improve its use of technology to combat crime.
Parson said Olson鈥檚 varied law enforcement experiences in both urban and rural areas as a key reason for his appointment. Olson served as head of Troop A, which is based in Lee鈥檚 Summit and also led the patrol鈥檚 drug and crime control division.
When asked if Olson would continue the special patrols on highways in the St. Louis region, which are aimed at helping free up resources for local police to fight crime, Parson said discussions are continuing. 鈥淲e鈥檙e here to figure that out because we鈥檝e got problems in some of the bigger metropolitan areas along with other parts of the state, we鈥檝e just got to figure out how to do it better,鈥� Parson said.
Olson is a native of Chillicothe, MO and graduated from William Jewell College in Liberty.
Samuel King is the Missouri government and politics reporter at KCUR 89.3. Follow him on Twitter:
Copyright 2020 KCUR 89.3. To see more, visit . 9(MDA1MjI2NzUxMDEyNzQyMTY5MjQ2YzkwNA004))
