Chief Justin Arnold began his law enforcement career with the Ozark Police Department in 2005 and immediately began developing himself and his skillsets. As his career progressed, he found himself leading the department’s narcotics/ VICE investigations and ultimately commanding the department’s Criminal Investigations Division Throughout his career, he has served in nearly every capacity of the organization—patrol officer, detective, sergeant, commander, and deputy chief. In 2019, Chief Arnold was appointed chief of police. 

When Chief Arnold took over, the Ozark Police Department had a turnover rate of nearly 60 percent. Chief Arnold understood that people were leaving for two primary reasons—lack of opportunities and poor opinion of department leadership. However, taking the time to learn the motivations and goals of the staff and openly communicating with them has improved morale significantly. The turnover rate from 2019 to 2022 dropped to less than 20 percent. With an emphasis on internal opportunity and professional development of staff, Chief Arnold has added experienced law enforcement professionals to his team by appealing to both lateral and recruit police applicants.  

Beginning in 2019, Chief Arnold championed the Hero in Training program, designed to engage youth of all ages and educate them about policing. The response from the community was overwhelming, and the program continues to be a great success, earning the Missouri Municipal League Innovation Award in 2021. After Hero in Training events, every officer involved has their own stories about positive, special interactions with the kids who attended. 

"I am focused on mentoring and developing future law enforcement leaders from within the community.”