Director's Leadership Medal 2016 Class, awarded on Oct. 28, 2017

Jeff Lofton, Christian County Sheriff’s Office, Patrol Division Commander

Captain Lofton is Patrol Division Commander of the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, but Lofton is focused on far more than schedules, response times and offense reports. Lofton recognizes community-involvement and engagement are essential to public safety. Captain Lofton’s duties include efforts to educate the public on community law enforcement issues, training citizens on how to better protect themselves and promoting a safer community. Through his leadership of community efforts like the Citizen’s Academy, the Youth Academy, the Women’s Self-Defense Program and the Active-Shooter Response Program, Captain Lofton has excelled at breaking down barriers to communication, developed greater trust between citizens and law enforcement and raise the level of public safety.

Garon P. Mosby, St. Louis Fire Department Command Staff Officer for Public Affairs, Community Engage

Upon his assignment to his position, Captain Mosby set out to fundamentally remake the way the position functions to better serve the public, the media and to elevate the level of safety for the entire community. Mosby is committed to greater access, transparency and utilizing new technology. He has built personal relations with the media, including inviting them to participate in recruit training to better understand the challenges of the profession. He built and sustained relationships within the community and has found new ways to deliver fire prevention messages and critical public safety information to the public. Mosby’s efforts have not only resulted in increased fire safety in St. Louis, and a positive image of the department, it has led fire departments across the nation and even internationally to follow the St. Louis Fire Department on social media and adopt similar outreach efforts.

Tommy St. John, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Lead Tracker for Clay County Veterans and Drug Courts

In his position, Captain St. John oversees a special unit of law enforcement officers who monitor all Veterans and Drug court participants. Understanding the critical role of not just accountability, but trust and understanding, St. John insists that his team members build relationships with the offenders, as well as their family, friends and neighbors, individuals critical in gathering information that can affect the outcome of a case. St. John is not anchored to a desk. He is constantly in the field, leading his team and partner agencies by example. He also preaches “catching them doing good,” by which he means advocating just as emphatically for those who are doing right as he does against those who are doing wrong. St. John is making a positive difference in his community and, in the words of Seventh Judicial Circuit Judge Shane T. Alexander, is “tireless in his dedication and exemplary in the performance of his duties.”