Learn More About AJ

AJ was born and raised in St. Joseph, Missouri, where he graduated from Central High School in 2002. He learned at a young age what it was like to be Sheriff as he was often seen shadowing his late uncle, Sheriff Mickey Gill, of The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office and dreamed of following in his footsteps.

AJ married his wife Cassie in 2013; together they have two daughters. They live in Lathrop where they are very active in the community.  AJ has served as President of The Lathrop Booster Club for several years and coached in the local youth softball program. He also served on the Lathrop Friendship Festival Committee. AJ continues to coach competitive softball and is a competitive Cheer Dad! 

AJ completed his degree in Criminal Justice and graduated from The Missouri Sheriff’s Training Academy in 2009. After graduating from the academy, he made Clinton County his home and began his law enforcement career with the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office.  He established himself quickly in the department and formed a self-sufficient K9 program, funded entirely from private donations.  The opportunity came for AJ to better his family, so he transferred to The Clay County Sheriff’s Office where he continued to acquire additional skills and to utilize the skills he honed and established a larger self-sufficient K9 program, again, funded entirely from private donations.  However, AJ knew his passion was working for the citizens in the community he lived in, so he returned to Clinton County Sheriff’s Office in late 2016 as a Captain, overseeing the field operations division;  bringing with him the vast knowledge he gained working at a larger and more urban department.  In mid-2019, AJ was promoted to Chief Deputy, overseeing all divisions within the department. While Chief Deputy, he developed policies on body cameras, hiring individuals interested in law enforcement that were later sent to the academy, and updated many policies that were outdated. AJ was instrumental in cutting the budget and building relationships throughout the courthouse, the community, and neighboring agencies. AJ led several complex cases and is known for working with local, state and federal partners to accomplish the task at hand. AJ feels building and maintaining relationships with outside agencies is paramount  to provide the best services available to the community and victims of crimes. AJ continued to acquire skills that benefited Clinton County by becoming a crisis negotiator and assisting in the creation of a multi-jurisdictional negotiation team. AJ is a certified law enforcement instructor in firearms, emergency vehicle operation, and holds generalist and specialty instructor certificates. He has devoted himself to teaching law enforcement officers,  new and old, as an active instructor for the Missouri Western State University Law Enforcement Academy. AJ was also an Investigator for the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team. In his role he was assigned to several counties and assisted in seeking justice for Missouri children.  

AJ is an active member and peer of The Crisis Intervention Team that provides services to emergency personnel in Northwest Missouri. Through his personal work experiences, this organization’s opportunities have allowed him to become more involved in peer support and mental health awareness. AJ regularly is asked to work with his colleagues as they navigate the Crisis Intervention training.

AJ joined the Missouri Law Enforcement Funeral Assistance Team in 2016 after he had the opportunity to see firsthand the effects this team can have on survivors and agencies affected by a line of duty death, when tragedy struck his family with the death of his daughter’s biological father in 2015.  AJ was designated as Assistant Team Leader in late 2017 and is currently the Assistant State Coordinator.  Even through these unfortunate circumstances, AJ loves being able to help his brothers and sisters through the grief process as well as meet and work with the families to ensure every part of this tragic experience is exactly how they envision it. AJ runs the team’s largest fundraiser and plays a large role in keeping the team financially sound.

AJ’s passion has always been to serve others and his community. He strives to promote the mental health wellness of his colleagues and truly believes in building strong healthy minds, so they have long careers. AJ’s commitment is to continue speaking on mental wellness, providing education to law enforcement and serving his community. AJ believes with his leadership and his team, the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office will continue to grow in a direction that will provide professional law enforcement services to the entire community.

"The best way to predict your future is to create it" 

President Abraham Lincoln

Paid for by: Friends of Carrel For Sheriff  Jessica Roe Treasurer

Approved by: AJ Carrel