Representative Lane Roberts, a Republican, represents part of Jasper and Newton counties (District 161) in the Missouri House of Representatives. He was elected to his first two-year term in November 2018. Prior to his legislative service, Roberts served as the director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety and as the chief of police for the City of Joplin. He has also served as chief of police in communities in the states of Washington and Oregon. Roberts is a veteran of the United States Air Force. Roberts is a past president of the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police and a past regional vice president of the Missouri Police Chiefs Association. He was named Police Chief of the Year by the Missouri Police Chiefs Association in 2013.
