History:
The present site of the City of Eureka, Missouri, had already been a settlement for many years when, in 1853, a railroad engineer found a valley through the hill country and a construction site was set up on the site. The Missouri and Pacific Railroad surveyor used the name “Eureka”, in the same manner as the early Greeks used the exclamation upon finding a precious gem.
Eureka was formally incorporated on April 7, 1954. In 1958, the City established the Police Department and enacted ordinances which allowed for an elected City Marshal. On June 1, 1958, Charles Branson was elected the first City Marshal/Chief of Police, a position he held until retiring in April, 1985 (27 years). Robert Maness, Asst. Chief of Police since 1966, was elected the new City Marshal/Chief of Police. On his retirement in 1987, the current Chief of Police, Michael Wiegand was elected to the City Marshal position.
The total patrol area now covers 9.35 square miles including the Six Flags St. Louis theme park. Over it’s nearly 40 year history, the department has grown to include it’s own jail, as well as Canine, Tactical, Bicycle Patrol, Motorcycle Patrol and Detective units. Originally served completely by the county, the Eureka Police Department now contracts for only communications services.
Mission Statement:
The people of the community are the only reason we are here.
Therefore, we are committed to a PARTNERSHIP with the COMMUNITY for the purpose of delivering QUALITY POLICE SERVICE.
We will demonstrate our commitment to excellence through:
Leadership…by empowering all department employees and citizens to work together to solve community problems and by granting all employees the authority and discretion to act for the betterment of the community.
Ethics…by building trust with our community and within our own department, ensuring honesty and integrity in our decision making process.
Attitude…by respecting individual rights and showing compassion, fairness and understanding in everything we do.
Development…by continuous evolution through training, education and communication to meet ever changing challenges.
Service…by responding to citizen needs, solving community problems and providing effective enforcement of the law.
Statistical Data for the Year 2009 & 2010:
| INCIDENT BY TYPE | 2009 | 2010 |
| Radio Calls For Service | 11,244 | 11,951 |
| Police Reports Written/Processed | 1,624 | 1,724 |
| Drug Violations. | 33 | 55 |
| Check Violations | 14 | 13 |
| Destruction Of Property | 73 | 63 |
| Stealing | 209 | 223 |
| Vehicle Accidents | 306 | 336 |
| Traffic Summons Written | 1,793 | 1,812 |
| Full Custody Arrests | 521 | 627 |
| Alarm Sounding Calls | 329 | 336 |
| Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) Arrests | 40 | 43 |
| Burglaries Reported | 26 | 17 |
| Robberies | 2 | 0 |
| Stolen Vehicles | 10 | 8 |
| Assaults | 70 | 84 |
| Liquor Laws | 13 | 26 |
| Curfew Violations | 3 | 3 |
| Runaways | 2 | 8 |
| Missing Persons | 1 | 5 |
| Trespassing | 10 | 7 |
| Filing False Police Report | 1 | 1 |
| Warning Tickets | 1,182 | 910 |
The department offers programs such as D.A.R.E., and provides a School Resource Officer to Eureka High School. Neighborhood Watch, Vacation Watch and Emergency Management programs continue to make our community a safer place to live.