Ash Grove Police Chief Chance resigns position

Department head leaves for Bowling Green-er pastures
 
Darin Chance is stepping down as chief of the Ash Grove Police Department after nearly four years on the job. His last day with the Ash Grove PD will be Friday, Oct. 29.
Chance said there are many aspects of the Ash Grove community that he will miss.
“For me it’s the community events like Sparks in the Park and the Christmas parade, and then, of course, interacting with the students at the school,” he said. “I really enjoy that. Also, working with the school district personnel is another thing that I really enjoy. We conduct intruder training for the faculty and staff in the school district every year; I really enjoyed that. And for a few years before COVID, we had a ninth-grade ... program, I really enjoyed that. Those are the things I am going to miss the most.”
Looking back on his years with the Ash Grove Police Department, Chance said one accomplishment of which he is proudest is the impact he’s had on the officers who’ve worked under him.
“Something that I am the proudest of out of the four years I’ve been (in Ash Grove) is playing a role in the growth (and) development, both personally and professionally, of our officers,” he said. “For me, watching our officers grow (and) helping them to find their next opportunity, helping them to be prepared for that next opportunity, that’s what it’s all about. It’s about ... helping the people in the organization to grow. The officers that are still in Ash Grove are doing an excellent job; the ones that have moved on for personal or professional reasons are excelling in their new endeavors.”
Chance said he also takes great pride in the way the police department upgraded their technology while he was chief.
“We have advanced by leaps and bounds, technology wise,” he said. “(It’s) probably going to make the next chief’s job easier, (as they’ll) be coming in with newer vehicles (and) computers in the vehicles. We’ve updated our radio system; we are getting CAD (computer aided dispatch) ... in the cars. Body cams have been ordered, and they are in. We’re just waiting to set up the training.”
For his new job, Chance is moving across the state; he is going to be the chief of the Bowling Green Police Department in Pike County, about 100 miles north of St. Louis, and just about 10 miles east of the Missouri-Illinois border. Chance said he is looking forward to the new venture.
“It’s a larger agency, so that will be a new challenge,” he said. “Getting ingrained in a new community is going to be a challenge, but it’s also going to be exciting, as well.”
As he prepares to make his good-byes, Chance said he will always carry a part of Ash Grove with him.
“I am eternally grateful to everybody that played a part in having me become a part of the Ash Grove community,” he said. “Coming to Ash Grove is one of the best things I’ve ever done, and Ash Grove will always hold a place in my heart.”