Jasper County welcomes new treasurer and veteran sheriff to lead

JASPER COUNTY, Mo. — Two Jasper County officials were sworn in today.

Shannon Karraker took her oath of office this morning at the Jasper County Courthouse. Voters elected Karraker to her first term as the Jasper County Treasurer back in November.

Also sworn in today was Randee Kaiser, who will serve his fourth term as Jasper County Sheriff. After the ceremony, we asked Kaiser what motivates him to stay in office.

"I have a heart to serve Jasper County in the area of law enforcement. That's been my driving goal, and is what I strive to do every day is for not just for me to serve, but my deputies to serve this county with professionalism and dignified law enforcement service," said Kaiser.

Kaiser says a lot has changed since he first began his long career in law enforcement 29 years ago.

"We're in a new era in terms of our transparency to the public for sure, in terms of body cameras and dash cameras. You know, that was not something that we had when I first started, and I think that the public -- and rightfully so -- demands that we be more transparent. And I think that's a good thing," added Kaiser.

One thing Kaiser says hasn't changed is law enforcement's primary goal of keeping the peace and protecting and serving the public.