15 Missouri communities are first to gain 2026 Blue Shield designation, Department of Public Safety announces

The Missouri Department of Public Safety has approved 15 Missouri communities as  2026 Missouri Blue Shield communities, making them the first designated for the second year of the program and eligible for state grants to boost law enforcement equipment and/or training. To achieve the designation, communities must demonstrate their commitment to enhancing public safety, strengthening support for law enforcement, and building sustainable public safety partnerships. 

The first communities to be recognized as Missouri Blue Shield communities for 2026 are: the cities of Arnold, Ballwin, Dexter, Gerald, Ironton, Maryland Heights, Moberly, Odessa, Peculiar, Sikeston, Washburn; and the counties of Johnson, Maries, Marion and Oregon. Each of the first 15 communities had also earned the Blue Shield designation in 2025.

"We’re extremely pleased to be off to such a quick start and once again see a high level of interest in the Blue Shield program from communities across the state,” Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Mark James said. “Missourians are united by a strong desire to live in safe communities with highly professional and engaged law enforcement agencies. The Blue Shield designation allows communities to highlight their support and makes them eligible for significant state grants to support law enforcement training and equipment.”

Additional communities will be announced weekly on the Department of Public Safety Facebook page. 

Last year, 201 Missouri communities achieved the Blue Shield designation, making each of them eligible for $50,000 grants for law enforcement equipment and training. Governor Mike Kehoe’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget once again includes $10 million for grants.

Equipment the state grants funded in 2025 included 388 mobile data terminals, 351 body cameras, 151 license plate readers, 102 ballistic vests, 91 interoperable radios, and 56 vehicles. A map of 2025 Missouri Blue Shield communities and a list of those jurisdictions is available here.

DPS administers the Blue Shield Program. Applications continue to be accepted and should be submitted by an official from the jurisdiction seeking the Blue Shield designation in coordination with the jurisdiction’s chief law enforcement officer. Applications and all supporting materials should be submitted online at this link.

DPS encourages communities to apply early, because if grant funding is approved by the General Assembly, the department will begin accepting grant applications in July, when FY 2027 funding becomes available. Questions on the application process can be directed to Terressa Sherlock, Terressa.Sherlock@dps.mo.gov.  

Among the Blue Shield designation eligibility criteria are:

• Passage of a resolution demonstrating a commitment to public safety, including to reduce violent crime within the jurisdiction;
• Extraordinary investments in public safety funding;
• Community policing initiatives or local partnerships to invest in and/or improve public safety;
• Law enforcement officer recruitment and retention program;
• Demonstrated effectiveness in reducing crime or innovative programs that attempt to reduce crime;
• Participates in regional anti-crime task forces, or a commitment to be a willing partner with these in the future; and
• Compliance with Missouri crime reporting and traffic stop data requirements and other related statutes.

Blue Shield counties, cities, and towns must maintain their commitments each year to retain the Blue Shield designation via annual reporting to DPS on their ongoing efforts to support public safety. Once local governments are approved for a Blue Shield designation, they receive a public relations toolkit to showcase their community’s commitment to public safety.

For more information, call 573-751-5432 or e-mail mike.oconnell@dps.mo.gov