Sheriff

Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson is a 35 year employee of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office.  She started her career with the Sheriff's Office in 1983.  In 1986, she completed her Missouri POST Law Enforcement Certification becoming a certified officer with the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office.  She worked her way through the ranks from civilian, Deputy, Sergeant, Lieutenant to the position she held for the last 23 years as Captain of Business Operations.  Sheriff Dickerson was a member of the Cape Girardeau/Bollinger County Major Case Squad for many years and will now serve on the board.

Sheriff Dickerson oversaw the daily operations of the Sheriff's Office with budgetary responsibility, supervisory duties, grant writing/management and numerous other duties under the scope of Business Operations in addition to law enforcement duties.  She brought in over an excess of several million dollars to the county through grant writing to assist putting additional Patrol Officers in the county with the COPS Grant, an additional Investigator to specialize in Domestic Violence, Rape and Assault cases with a VAWA STOP Grant and a multitude of grants for equipment utilized by the office.

School Resource Officers being placed in the schools have become a high demand in light of the events happening in the world. In 2018, Sheriff Dickerson worked with a local school district located in the county and the officer assigned to do split SRO duties for multiple schools, to put the first cooperative agreement in place for a full-time SRO officer in that school. 

Sheriff Dickerson, over the span of her career, received numerous awards and commendations for her service to the office and the citizens of Cape Girardeau County but was the first recipient to receive multiple Timothy J. Ruopp Outstanding Law Enforcement Awards in 1986 and 2008.  

She has been active in her community by serving on many boards and committees over the years. She is proud to be a lifelong resident of Cape Girardeau County, mother, grandmother and enjoys every moment she spends with family and friends.  She enjoys outdoor activities and any time she and her husband can slip away to camp and enjoy the beauty that Missouri provides.