Goodman Police Department Enjoys Helping Their Neighbors
The officers who serve and protect Goodman residents consider themselves lucky to help out their neighbors.
Goodman Police Chief Curt Drake, who has served as chief for 11 years, noted the small town was severely-damaged by an EF-2 tornado in April, but the neighborly atmosphere hasn’t wavered.
“The town hasn’t changed a lot over the years. We have good, family-oriented people.”
The four officers who serve on the Goodman Police Department consider it a privilege to help others.
Drake said the staff is committed to helping the community.
“Our staff is faith-based. We four are devout Christians and we try to treat people with respect. We enjoy the small town environment.”
The Goodman Police Department covers two square miles, with four to five miles of state highways.
Curt and Joseph David are full-time patrolmen who work 40 to 45 hours a week. Officer Miller and Officer Michelle Wilson serve as part-time/reserve patrolmen.The four handle coverage for the community and the two part-time officers also help out on occasion at special events, such as the recent Ozark Orchard Festival.
Operational funding for the department is derived from citizen and sales taxes.
The department has a mutual-aid agreement with the Anderson Police Department, and also relies on state and county officers to help patrol.
“We are truly grateful for the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri Highway Patrol to fill in the gaps,” Drake said.
Goodman experiences challenges, similar to other small towns. Problems with theft and drugs are driven by a very small part of the population, he said.
The tornado did a lot of damage, as far as the fire stations and elementary school, but the people rebounded. The devastation didn’t do much to break the spirit of the people of Goodman, Drake said.
In a day’s work, Goodman is a nice, small town with few problems. Neighbors help neighbors and the Police Department is committed to keeping the streets relatively quiet.
“Everything goes smoothly,” Drake said.