When Jill Schlude ’07 was sworn in as the City of Columbia’s chief of police last December, she knew she could count on two local counterparts for their support.
Whether it be a call, a text or an email – and no matter the time of day – Schlude has been able to turn to both Boone County (Mo.) Sheriff Dwayne Carey ’89 ’15 and University of Missouri Police Chief Brian Weimer ’02 as they team up to protect their community and deter crime.
All three leaders share roots as graduates of the Criminal Justice Program at Columbia College.
“It’s a great testament to homegrown talent,” Schlude says. “It’s a testament to the type of program at Columbia College because we’re all success stories who came out of that.”
Schlude, a native of St. Joseph, Missouri, graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration from CC in 2007, shortly after joining the Columbia Police Department to start a career that now spans two decades and counting.
Carey, born and raised in Columbia, earned his bachelor’s in Criminal Justice Administration from CC before beginning a 35-year career with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, where he has served as sheriff since 2005. He also earned his Master of Science in Criminal Justice from CC nearly a decade ago and now teaches the next generation of law enforcement professionals as an adjunct instructor for the college.
Weimer, originally from Macon, Missouri, deepened his higher education with a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from CC about 10 years into his career at the University of Missouri Police Department, where was named interim chief in 2020 and assumed the permanent leadership post in 2021.
“It’s nice to know that there was a common place that we all went to college,” Weimer says. “If you know the three of us, we all get along very well, we communicate very well together. It’s kind of back to that small-town, take-care-of-each-other philosophy, and I think Columbia College does that.
“The values are from CC and I think those have definitely guided all of our careers.”
Carey credits an internship during his time as a CC student for setting the foundation of his law enforcement career. Like Schlude and Weimer, Carey did not realize until recently that both of the other local leaders graduated from CC, as none of their college experiences overlapped.
“It’s probably a little bit unique in a community this size that you would have two chiefs and a sheriff that all graduated from one college,” Carey says. “It’s a positive for CC.”
‘New challenge every day’
An avid outdoorsman, Carey initially had ambitions to become a conservation agent.
However, in his senior year of college, he interned with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office and cemented a passion for law enforcement.
Upon earning his bachelor’s degree, he began a full-time job with the Sheriff’s Office at the old Boone County Jail in 1989 before becoming a patrol deputy about a year later.
“The rest was kind of history at that point,” Carey says. “I was committed to the agency and loved everything about it.”
Carey moved his way up and was elected sheriff in November 2004, starting in the role on Jan. 1, 2005. He has served in that capacity ever since and manages a department of approximately 150 people.
Under his leadership, the department recently broke ground on a regional law enforcement training center scheduled to open in 2025. The purpose of the center is “to make sure our deputies are trained to our expectations and also to provide training for our law enforcement partners,” Carey says.
“It’s always something,” he says of his work. “That’s what’s intriguing about my job: There’s a new challenge every day. My job requires a lot of strategy, a lot of thinking things through methodically, making sound decisions. I just eat it up. I really enjoy coming to work.”
“There’s a new challenge every day. My job requires a lot of strategy, a lot of thinking things through methodically, making sound decisions. I just eat it up. I really enjoy coming to work.”
Boone County (Mo.) Sheriff Dwayne Carey ’89 ’15
After completing his master’s from CC in 2015 through the Online Program, Carey decided to take his connection with the institution to another level. He is in his ninth year teaching online Criminal Justice courses to students from around the nation.
He teaches the undergraduate Introduction to Criminal Justice course as well as the graduate Development of Policy and Procedures course, which he developed.
“I like to give students a more practical, realistic view of what actually happens out in the field,” he says. “I tell my students, ‘If everyone in the country knew a little bit more about the criminal justice system, we would all be better for it.’”
‘Right things for the right reasons’
Long before Schlude became the first woman to serve as chief of the Columbia Police Department, she first moved to Columbia in 1995 to attend journalism school at the University of Missouri.
Her plans changed and she soon entered the workforce at the Boone County Sheriff’s Office as a warrant clerk. Her positive experience there influenced her to pursue police academy and to accept a position as an officer for the Ashland, Missouri, Police Department.
Little did she know, that all set the stage for an unusual opportunity: serving as an undercover narcotics officer for the Missouri State Highway Patrol Drug Task Force. From attending meth lab school to assisting with searches and seizures, Schlude took on significant responsibility.
“I was very young and early in my police career,” Schlude says. “It was a lot of great experience because I learned a lot about things that you don’t normally encounter until later in your career.”
Schlude’s long-term goal was to work for the Columbia Police Department (CPD), but she needed at least 60 hours of college credit to be hired full time. She began pursuing her bachelor’s degree from CC in 2002 while working in restaurant management.
She was hired as a patrol officer for CPD in October 2005 and worked the night shift, taking classes through CC’s Online Program to complete her bachelor’s two years later.
“Doing online made it so much easier,” Schlude says. “If you do shift work, it’s really hard to be a traditional student. So being able to do that nontraditional route was very helpful.”
Schlude rose through CPD’s ranks, serving as public information officer, sergeant, captain, deputy police chief and assistant police chief.
She became the city’s chief of police on Dec. 4, 2023, and now oversees a department with an authorized force of more than 250 officers and support staff.
“By nature I’m a very collaborative person,” Schlude says. “I feel like I thrive in an environment where we are making informed, well-thought-through decisions where you have a lot of different people at the table. My job is to make sure we are doing the right things for the right reasons.”
“By nature I’m a very collaborative person. I feel like I thrive in an environment where we are making informed, well-thought-through decisions where you have a lot of different people at the table. My job is to make sure we are doing the right things for the right reasons.”
City of Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude ’07
‘Extremely rewarding work’
Raised on a cattle farm in north-central Missouri, Weimer went to the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg to study aviation.
Thanks to a scheduling snafu during his first year there, he found himself in a criminal justice class, where he quickly discovered his interest in law enforcement.
“It was actually a fluke,” Weimer says.
Weimer realized he greatly enjoyed the setting of a college campus. After his graduation, he accepted a job with the University of Missouri Police Department (MUPD) in 1992 and never looked back.
He started as an officer before a series of hard-earned promotions saw him advance to the ranks of sergeant and captain. He participated in the Southern Police Institute, where he completed nine graduate credit hours, and then began pursuing his master’s from CC.
“The Columbia College experience was great because of the shorter sessions and the flexibility that you need to make it all work,” says Weimer, who attended classes in the Evening Program. “It was very impressive. The professors were wonderful to work with.”
Weimer later became MUPD’s operations major, the department’s second-highest level of leadership, before assuming the role of interim chief in July 2020 when the previous chief retired. On Feb. 8, 2021, Weimer was officially named the chief of MUPD.
Now four years into holding the top position, Weimer oversees all aspects of a department that is comprised of approximately 75 people. “I get to see behind the scenes how many lives this team touches through the amazing work they do,” Weimer says.
There is uniqueness to what a campus police department of MUPD’s size offers to young people, Weimer says.
“We have individuals in our community who come from all over the world and have very different experiences with law enforcement,” he says. “Here’s an opportunity to let everyone know that our law enforcement is here to help you and to serve. That makes it extremely rewarding work.”
“We have individuals in our community who come from all over the world and have very different experiences with law enforcement. Here’s an opportunity to let everyone know that our law enforcement is here to help you and to serve. That makes it extremely rewarding work.”
University of Missouri Police Chief Brian Weimer ’02
CC in the community
There have been several similar themes throughout the careers of Carey, Schlude and Weimer – especially in how each of them views leadership and law enforcement.
Much of that commonality can be traced back to their education at Columbia College, Weimer says.
“With the smaller classes, you get to build relationships and share that same philosophy that the school promotes,” he says. “If you look at our styles, we share that within our departments that are close-knit, hold each other accountable and at the same time take care of each other.”
Schlude joked that she took the longest of the trio to complete her degree at CC, “but we all got there.” She remembers meeting Carey when she was a warrant clerk and he was a lieutenant more than 25 years ago.
Recently, Schlude recalls sending an email to Carey and Weimer seeking some assistance, and both men responded right away.
“We work together so much on different things and just in general trying to team up to combat different types of crime,” Schlude says. “I feel very fortunate that we can call each other, text each other anytime and just ask. It’s nice to have supportive partners that you know you can call on.”
In a field that constantly changes, the three have been constants in local law enforcement while representing the best of their alma mater.
“It says a lot about the program at Columbia College,” Carey says. “I’m a big CC believer.”
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