Police sergeant, volunteer firefighter, and president of the Linn County Law Enforcement Association Jeff Henke has officially announced and kicked off his campaign to be elected the next Sheriff of Linn County in the special election taking place on August 20, 2019. A special election was called after the previous sheriff officially retired. Jeff Henke was nominated to run by the Linn County Republican Central Committee.
“I have always considered it an honor and a privilege to serve my community,” said Henke, “As someone who was raised in Marceline and who works in both Brookfield and Marceline, I want to ensure that we keep our county safe and secure. With my years of experience and ties to the community, I know that I have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to excel as the people’s next sheriff.”
Henke graduated from Marceline High School in 2006 and earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri before completing the law enforcement training program at Moberly Area Community College. Jeff then immediately began his career as a police officer. Jeff worked for the Linn County Sheriff’s Office for three years and was promoted to sergeant in 2014. In 2015 Henke became the sergeant at the Brookfield Police Department, and shortly after became their K-9 handler. Henke has earned a variety of specialty certifications as a police officer, becoming certified in Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement, First-line Supervision, Basic SWAT, K-9 handling, certified Firefighter I and II, and Hazmat Operations and Awareness certified.
In addition to helping keep Brookfield safe, Henke also serves as a volunteer fireman and first responder in Marceline. He is currently the president of the Linn County Law Enforcement Association, involved in the Linn County Emergency Planning Committee, and a member of the Missouri Narcotics Officers Association. In 2014 he was married to his wife, Stephanie.
Henke spoke at length about his goals as sheriff, “Above all else, I place the protection and welfare of my community first. I want to create an office where service to the community is of the utmost importance, and to ensure that the sheriff’s office is a respected law enforcement agency. I seek to implement a proactive approach to law enforcement through effective patrolling across the county, especially rural areas and small towns without police departments. A big step towards this is to improve technology to benefit department communication. Most of all, we will work alongside residents of Linn County and promote awareness and transparency throughout the community.”
