Christiansen Appointed Chief: In a special session of the Lake Ozark Board of Aldermen held on January 5, 2023, Mr. Jeff Christiansen wasappointed with a unanimous vote to serve as the city’s next Police Chief. Christiansen comes to the city with over 27 years of professional law enforcement experience, most recentlyserving the citizens of Linn Creek, Missouri as their Police Chief. Prior to his work in Linn Creek, Christiansenspent 26 years at the DuPage County, Illinois Sheriff’s Office, progressing through their patrol and detectivedivisions, and eventually serving as a Sergeant within their civil division and accreditation and trainingprograms. His professional service includes volumes of experience in training and development, grants, patrolfunctions, accreditation, and supervision. He possesses a BA and MS in criminal social justice from Lewis University, and is a 2012 graduate of theNorthwestern University School of Police Staff and Command. While working for the DuPage CountySheriff’s Office, Christiansen also worked as an adjunct instructor at Aurora University for a period of 15 years,where he was a founding member of their criminal justice advisory board. He has worked at the College ofDuPage as a GED instructor and coordinator as well. He has also has years of experience as an accreditationmanager, trainer, and contractor for a series of coroners’ offices in Illinois. Outside of his professional experiences, Christiansen is a co-founder of Celebrate Differences, which is a notfor-profit supporting people with disabilities and their families. He has extensive involvement with the specialneeds community for the past 18 years, also co-founding the A Pinch of Happiness Spice Shop in Camdenton,Missouri. During his appointment, Christiansen stated that he was “looking forward to getting started soon and tocontinue the work of making the agency better. I am excited to work with the officers, dispatchers, board anddepartment heads to make progress, and appreciate the thorough and well-vetted hiring process.”At the meeting, Mayor Newberry thanked the members of the hiring committee that helped to identifyChristiansen as the next Police Chief. Christiansen will be sworn into the role at the Board of Aldermenmeeting on January 10, 2023 at 6:00 P.M.
