KC Reporter

Governor Mike Kehoe has announced an increase in the maximum benefit of the Missouri Blue Scholarship for law enforcement academy recruits. The scholarship will now provide up to $6,000 per recruit, thanks to a $1 million funding boost in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget. Since its inception in October 2022 through June 2025, the program has distributed $4.49 million to 995 recipients.

"The Missouri Blue Scholarship Program has made law enforcement training more accessible to Missourians interested in joining the profession and helped bolster the number of licensed peace officers in Missouri," Governor Kehoe stated. He expressed gratitude to the General Assembly for approving the administration's recommended increase in funding.

The State of Missouri's FY26 budget increased scholarship funding from $2 million to $3 million. In FY25 alone, nearly $1.92 million was awarded to 420 recruits.

Many law enforcement agencies across Missouri do not have sufficient funds to pay salaries or cover academy costs for recruits. This scholarship is designed to alleviate financial burdens and expand recruitment pools by offering support without requiring loans that need repayment after hiring.

"Given the price of attending some of Missouri’s law enforcement academies and the shortage of officers around the state, raising the maximum scholarship amount to $6,000 is another way we can support recruitment efforts," said Mark James, Director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety.

Before this scholarship was introduced, approximately 1,025 peace officers were licensed annually from 2020-2022. After its introduction, numbers rose slightly with 1,050 licenses issued in 2023 and increasing further to 1,099 by 2024.

As evidence of its impact on staffing levels at local agencies: Camden County Sheriff’s Office employs eleven scholars out of eighty-one commissioned officers; Fulton Police Department counts ten scholars among twenty-five officers; Henry County Sheriff’s Office includes nine scholars within twenty-nine members; University City Police Department also staffs nine recipients among sixty-two total personnel.

The scholarships are administered by The Missouri Department Of Public Safety with future awards contingent upon legislative appropriations.