Three men with similar - but not the same - backgrounds and ideas faced each other for about 75 minutes Tuesday in a News Tribune-sponsored forum, explaining why each wants to be Cole County's next sheriff.
Incumbent Sheriff Greg White announced 16 months ago he wouldn't run for another four-year term.
In the order their names appear on next week's election ballot, the three would-be successors are:
Gary Hill, 42, currently the sheriff's Patrol Division commander.
John Wheeler, 49, currently the sheriff's chief deputy.
Randy Dampf, 54, currently the prosecuting attorney's chief investigator and a veteran Jefferson City police officer.
With no candidate from any other political party, the winner of the Republican primary will take over the sheriff's office Jan. 1, 2017. The full-time job pays approximately $66,000 a year.
Hill said he's running for the office "because I want to continue to contribute to my community. With 18 years of law enforcement here in Jefferson City - since I've made it my home, I want it to be my responsibility to take care of my family here."
He grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and came to Jefferson City in 1992 to attend Lincoln University. He considers Jefferson City to be his home and began working in the sheriff's office in 1998 as a jailer.
Hill pointed to his promotions and increasing responsibilities under four sheriffs since starting under Sheriff John Hemeyer.
Wheeler grew up in southeast Missouri but moved here after serving seven years in the U.S. Air Force.
He also served in the Air Force Reserve and for 19 years in the Missouri National Guard.
He was a police officer and firefighter in Sikeston and eventually worked several different assignments for the Jefferson City police, until White - shortly after becoming sheriff in 2005 - "asked me to be his chief deputy. Making (that) decision was about progressing in the sheriff's department to be the sheriff."
Wheeler said the department under White "has come a long way. We changed a lot of the culture, and we've really done a good job, I think. We are responsive to the community."
Dampf, who retired from the police department after 28 years, then began working with the prosecutor's office, said: "I have reached a point in my career where I think I have gained a lot of valuable experience, not only as a police officer but as a supervisor and a manager.
"More than ever, law enforcement needs good, strong leadership. With the roles that I've served in over the years I believe that I'm going to be the most effective sheriff in this county."
Dampf noted he's the only one of the three candidates who's a Cole County native, so "I think I am closest to the community. I have a lot of family and friends throughout Cole County, and I think I will best serve as sheriff because of the ties I have to this community."
All three men said the Cole County sheriff's department does a good job but could get better.
All three said the department needs to make better use of technology. Dampf said the department had "gone backwards" when it stopped using a CAD - computer-aided dispatch - system.
"It would be my goal to reinstate that in the cars," he said. "It's a safety issue."
Wheeler and Hill agreed a CAD system would be nice.
But as the sheriff's budget officer, Wheeler said he recommended dropping it because it wasn't a good value.
"We couldn't get customer service" when there were problems, he explained, and "the amount of information we were getting wasn't very good."
Hill said he would look at getting CAD back in the cars, but there are other places like the jail where technology improvements are also important.
All three support the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, giving citizens the right to bear arms.
One question noted Highland Park, Illinois, has banned AR-15 assault weapons; none of the three sheriff candidates would support that idea for Cole County.
All three said they want to get more people involved in the Reserves program, which uses volunteers who help the department with some basic law enforcement work.
VIDEO: Cole County sheriff's candidate forum
Previous coverage:
Hill, Wheeler answer questions at Cole Democrat meeting
3 seek to succeed Cole County Sheriff Greg White
For Cole County Sheriff: Hill focused on suppressing crime
For Cole County Sheriff: Wheeler brings years of experience
For Cole County Sheriff: Dampf dedicated to community service