Cassville Chief Kammerlohr to retire June 1
By Kyle Troutman ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com
When Cassville Police Chief Dana Kammerlohr was in college to become a veterinary technician, she made a connection within the program that would take her career in a different direction but provide 34 years of employment.
Set to retire on June 1, Kammerlohr transitioned from vet tech to training search and rescue dogs, ultimately being hired as a Barry County deputy, where she served for 20 years, then as Cassville police chief for another 14.
“When I started working search and rescue, I was not an officer at the time,” she said. “I worked all over the midwest out of Kansas City. I had a friend in the vet tech program whose sister was involved in search and rescue.”
What truly made Kammerlohr plunge into the world of law enforcement was the still-unsolved case of Christine Seal, a 22-year-old woman who disappeared from her home in Verona in June 1972.
“I saw through the years how that family suffered, and I got into search and rescue because I thought, even if it’s a sad ending, finding someone could bring a family closure,” Kammerlohr said. “I was doing search and rescue for two years, and the county came and asked if I could train drug dogs. I was a reserve in 1989 and went to the academy in 1990, continuing as a reserve until 1993, when a grant put me on full-time with the county doing K-9s and the D.A.R.E. program.”
In her 20 years with the county, Kammerlohr said she helped with patrol, but her main focuses were K-9 and D.A.R.E.
“I would have to get up in the middle of the night and go out when tornadoes came, and at that time, I didn’t do well with tornadoes being from Oklahoma and Kansas.”
Kammerlohr’s family lived in Oklahoma and Kansas before moving to Barry County in 1964. she left in 1973 and returned in 1976.
“I also worked with the Southwest Missouri Drug Task Force [during my time with the county],” she said.
In 2009, Kammerlohr transitioned from the county to the City of Cassville, hired as the police chief.
“It will be 14 years on May 18,” she said. “There’s a lot more administrative work being chief, but I still got to do K-9 work. Being in law enforcement, the reward is being able to help people in times of need, and I also feel like I improved the police department as far as technology and training goes.”
Getting computers in city patrol vehicles, using the eTicket system and improving the reporting system to be up-to-date are some of Kammerlohr’s accomplishments in that realm.
“I also felt rewarded helping young people when they were trapped in a drug environment,” she said. “It means a lot to see later when they reunite with their families after rehabilitation.”
Kammelohr said throughout her career locally, she has seen drug use as a major driver of area crime.
“We roller coaster on a lot of things, but a lot of the crime is based around drug use,” she said. “It’s not that they are high and don’t know what they are doing, but more that they want something to sell or pawn to get money to continue the drug use.
“Domestics and vandalism have also been in the rise in recent years, especially vandalism in public areas. It’s a roller coaster because we’ll get it shut down for a while, but then it starts back up again.”
As far as prevention, Kammerlohr said the city puts extra patrols in high-vandalism areas, but it must balance those with speed checks when complaints come in.
“We also network with other departments to see if they are doing something new or inventive that is helping,” she said.
Highlighting the equipment upgrades, Kammerlohr also said keeping vehicles operable has been a focus.
“A lot of people don’t understand we run these vehicles to a certain mileage or until we are spending money on maintenance,” she said. “The worst-case scenario is to be held back on a call by a vehicle with mechanical issues. A few years ago, an officer was in a fight with a suspect, and our car had a mechanical issue that wouldn’t let it go more than 5 miles per hour. So, it’s important to keep up with the maintenance program, which is a good one.”
Kammerlohr said as chief, her priorities were rooted in the safety of three equal groups — the officers, the public and the schools.
“I wanted to ensure officer safety, keep the community as safe as possible and keep the school as safe as possible,” she said. “The school is very important to me, and the changes over the years have made us all realize why it should be. I’ve always had a good relationship with the school.”
Kammerlohr said for the department’s future, she hopes to see continued support when it comes to training, equipment and salaries.
“And, we need to develop a retention program, which they are working on right now; and we need to be well-staffed,” she said.
As for herself, Kammerlohr said she’s possibly more excited about what she won’t be doing than what she will be.
“I’ll only have one phone and not get calls in the middle of the night, maybe,” she said. “I will also just go to my basement when the storm sirens go off. But, I’ve been in the workforce since I was 16, so it will be tough. I will help as needed at Tomblin’s Jewelry, as I already do Saturdays there, and I hope I can volunteer some at the school and be involved in community functions and events.”
Being raised in the community, Kammerlohr said one thing working in the new chief’s favor is be the cooperation between area law enforcement agencies, and on up.
“I’ve lived in a couple of other communities, and I think what is unique to us here is every agency works together,” she said. “I’ve been in others in the midwest where they fight against each other, and that doesn’t make sense because we all have the same goal. Here, we get along with the state on down, and even with the feds.
“I had a very good mentorship through the Highway Patrol investigators, and I did teach D.A.R.E. officers for the Patrol. I continue to mentor them, and my instructors have continued to be a mentor to me. It’s a network where if you have a question, pick up the phone and someone will be there to help.”
The replacement for Kammerlohr will likely come on recommendation from the recently formed Police Department Efficiency Committee.
“Some people have said to me, ‘This place can run on its own without you,’” Kammerlohr said. “I say that’s the goal as chief, to hire good personnel that can do the job without my help. Maybe not the paperwork, but everything else.
“In all my jobs, I always wanted the next person to be better than me, especially so as chief. But, I don’t know if they will love this community as much as I do. I’ve had great support in this community, and it will be hard to retire, but I am ready.”
