Three decades in law enforcement is a sign of passion for many, an indication of an officer’s dedication to their job and community even as they have been in the middle of some miserable and heartbreaking situations.

With most of those 31 years spent in her hometown, Columbia Deputy Police Chief Karla Heine stepped away last week, having demonstrated a love for her city and a drive to serve youth in particular.

Heine was born and raised in Columbia, her father having grown up there himself while her mother moved from Missouri.

After graduating from Columbia High School, she attended Southwestern Illinois College – then known as Belleville Area College – earning an associate’s degree in administration of justice.

Heine knew well before college she wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement.

“Ever since I was in sixth grade I wanted to be a police officer,” Heine said. “My parents, they thought I would just grow out of it, but I never did.”

Though she tested around for a job after graduating, she found herself working in loss prevention for the Cahokia Walmart, with local officers nudging her to test for that village’s department.

Pushing through the concerns she had about meeting department requirements, she found a place in Cahokia in 1995.

“They convinced me, some of the guys at the Cahokia Police Department convinced me to come and test, and that was all she wrote from there,” Heine said.

She spoke fondly of her time serving Cahokia, though she acknowledged it was a “rougher” area than her hometown.

After nearly a decade and with three kids, Heine succumbed to her family’s encouragement and moved back to Columbia, stepping into an opening with the Columbia Police Department shortly after her mother passed.

“I liked it in Cahokia,” Heine said. “I liked the excitement. I liked everything about it. It was just fun, and there was always something new going on. I was just getting ready to be promoted to sergeant there in Cahokia, but I kinda thought it would be better for our family and for my kids.”

Heine recalled being brought on by former Columbia Police Chief Gene Henkler, though he retired soon after following a stroke, being replaced by Joe Edwards.

Just as with Cahokia, she had good things to say about her overall time serving Columbia – particularly enjoying the chance to raise her family in the same community and same house where she grew up.

“I was happy I made the move,” Heine said. “Once we did everything and we moved here back home, it felt like home again. Literally, moved back into my old home and started raising the kids here. It’s a great community to raise a family, and it was a great choice for our family.”

Heine wore a number of hats during her time with the CPD. Though she’d been in line for a sergeant position in Cahokia, she started out again as a patrol officer for Columbia in 2004.

In 2007, her focus returned to investigations. She was named detective sergeant in 2016 before assuming the role of deputy chief in 2021.

Beyond the CPD, she served with the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis from 1999 onward.

Heine also spent some time working part-time with the FBI as a special federal officer, focusing on cyber crimes and child exploitation from 2007-2017.

She also helped with the Child Death Investigation Task Force in surrounding counties from 2010-2016, acting as commander starting in 2013. She ultimately stepped away from that to better focus on Columbia.

Looking back on her years in Columbia, Heine recalled some of the many cases she was involved with, the murder perpetrated by Jordan Kuykendall in 2013 among them.

She particularly spoke about the 2009 case involving Christopher Coleman, in which Coleman strangled his wife and two young sons to death in their home.

Heine recalled going to attend a child abuse training when she was contacted by Edwards and told to return due to the triple homicide, furthering recalling how she still sees folks, particularly teachers of those boys, post about and reflect on the case.

“It’s like one of those moments that you will never forget,” Heine said. “It’s kinda like 9/11, when it happened, you remember where you were when you found out about it… It just doesn’t happen here. It just shook the whole town, and it affected everyone, and I think it still does in some ways.”

Looking back on yet another terrible case, she spoke about Elyse Mamino, who tried to drown her newborn baby in a toilet in 2008.

Heine noted how the remains of another child had been found in Mamino’s Belleville home afterward, though the St. Clair County state’s attorney at the time felt that case couldn’t be prosecuted.

With another state’s attorney stepping in, Heine recalled how she was able to have an arrest warrant for Mamino ready regarding the second child upon Mamino being released from prison.

Those particularly tragic and high-profile cases standing out, Heine found a niche in investigations early in her career and has had an acute passion for children all throughout.

“Investigations have always been my heart,” Heine said. “Child abuse has always been my forte. Domestic violence has always been where my heart has laid, and it will always be that way.”

Speaking more broadly on her years as an officer in both Cahokia and Columbia, Heine remarked on how the job has changed in no small part thanks to technology.

She placed emphasis on the role of cameras in policing. The introduction of a camera to investigative interviews was a major, somewhat unwelcome change, though it became fundamental over the years.

Heine further spoke about the introduction of bodycams and the use of cameras throughout the entire city to help catch offenders.

She likewise noted the change in communication technology, going from pagers to now using phones as an integral part of law enforcement.

Regarding her departure from the CPD, Heine spoke mainly about her family, with little in the way of specific plans for the future.

“I just plan to go where God leads me,” Heine said. “I’ve got a growing family now. I’ve got four grandchildren and two more on the way, and I’m just gonna go where God leads me to go.”

Speaking on his colleague of many years, Columbia Police Chief Jason Donjon recalled how they joined the department around the same time, spending much of their careers together.

Donjon commended Heine’s skills as an officer, particularly stressing her talent as an interviewer who taught him a great deal about actively listening.

“We’ve spent a lot of our careers together,” Donjon said. “Great police officer, but an even better person. Her and I talk a lot about family and what’s important. She was the best interviewer I’ve ever seen.”

Heine further remarked on her time with the CPD, expressing great thanks for the community she has served for so many years.

“I enjoyed my time with the Columbia Police Department,” Heine said. “The City of Columbia is an amazing place. I will always praise our citizens and our community because they back the police like no other, better than any place I’ve ever known. It has been an honor to work for them and provide justice for them, and I will always be grateful to the community and the City of Columbia.”