Rick Harrell has served as the Sheriff of Lincoln County since January 1st, 2021. He began his law enforcement career by joining the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in 1994. He held many supervisory assignments to include Sergeant of Uniformed Patrol, the Commander of the Patrol Division, Sheriff’s Adjutant, Public Information Officer, Assistant Jail Administrator, and Leader of the SWAT team.
Rick has stood as a leading voice for implementing community-based strategies in Lincoln County. He was instrumental in developing local senior citizen safety initiatives, Explorers Posts, the Sheriff’s Office Youth Summer Camp, school-based safety education programs, the inmate workforce and organizing preparedness drills for local school districts. He wrote and administered many grants for both the Sheriff’s Office and Troy Police Department used to fund Traffic Safety, Senior Citizen Safety programs, DWI enforcement, and school resource officers.
He graduated summa cum laude from Lindenwood University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Corporate Communications and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.
Rick was born in Troy, Missouri and raised on a farm in Lincoln County. He attended Sacred Heart and Troy Buchanan High School. He and his wife Debbie are active members of Sacred Heart Church in Troy. They made their home just a few miles from the family farm and have been blessed with six children and four grandchildren. He is a proud lifelong resident of Lincoln County and has dedicated his life to serving and protecting the place he calls home.