Camden Sheriff Urges Yes Vote On Amendment 8

Amendment 8 may not have received the lion's share of attention going into the Tuesday, November 3 General Election, but Camden County Sheriff Chris Edgar says the measure is important.

Amendment 8 would put the office of county sheriff and its primary law enforcement duties into the Missouri Constitution, making it harder for state lawmakers to change or eliminate those responsibilities. The amendment would still allow sheriffs to be removed from office, but it would require removal proceedings to be brought by the Missouri Attorney General through a legal process known as quo warranto.

Official Ballot Language For Amendment 8

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to support law enforcement by preserving the right of citizens to elect a county sheriff, prohibiting the removal of a county sheriff except by a writ of quo warranto, and recognizing the office of sheriff as part of the administration of justice?

State and local governmental entities estimate no costs or savings.

When Missouri adopted a new Constitution in 1945, the document lacked certain requirements regarding the office of sheriff that the previous constitution had contained; this placed control of the office in the hands of the Legislature.

Edgar says if passed, Amendment 8 would solidify local control of the office of the county sheriff. He emphasized the office of sheriff is the primary defender of citizens’ rights against state and federal government overreach.

“Our rights come from God, not the government,” he said, adding, “The government cannot arbitrarily suspend property rights or Second Amendment protections without strict constitutional compliance. The sheriff derives authority from an oath to the Constitution and accountability to local voters.”