Cape consensus: City needs more cops

Cape Girardeau officials have reached a consensus: The city needs more police officers.

"It's a consensus that's been growing over the past couple of years," Ward 6 Councilman Wayne Bowen said. "We have 100,000 people here in the day. We always need to look ahead. It's the whole council moving this direction."

On Monday, the council agreed to an additional $975,000 in funding for police -- $385,000 for seven additional police officers, $333,000 for the new police station, $165,000 for three grant-funded officers that already have been hired and $92,000 for a yet-to-be disclosed mental-health initiative.

The surge in manpower is needed, officials say, even though violent crime reportedly has decreased, and the police department accounts for 32 percent of the city's general fund.

The council, city manager Scott Meyer and police chief Wes Blair all referred to a 2014 graduate thesis from Southeast Missouri State University students commissioned by the city that acted as a study of police department staffing. The report stated in 81 shifts in 2013, the department needed more than eight officers based on the length of each call. It again compared Cape Girardeau to Jefferson City -- Jefferson City had 1,000 fewer crimes but 10 more officers.

Sgt. Rick Schmidt of the Cape Girardeau Police Department climbs back in his patrol car after a call Tuesday. (Glenn Landberg)

"The findings and discussion of this assessment provide ample reasons to assume that the Cape Girardeau Police Department patrol units are understaffed," the report states.

That report stated Cape Girardeau has a property-crimes rate significantly higher, about 300 more per 10,000 people, than Jefferson City. Cape Girardeau as of 2013 averaged 746 crimes per 10,000.

Police chief Wes Blair said violent crime in the city is down, and community policing and mental health are two areas where seven additional officers will help the most. Officers currently spend much of their time going from call to call, Blair said. More officers will allow for more regular patrols, allowing officers to be visible in the community.

"It's a problem if the only time you see police officers is when you're at your worst," Bowen said.

Blair said the advantage of having a mental-health professional on staff is by addressing issues before they become crimes. Officers are interacting daily with people who are suffering from mental-health issues, often not in a criminal capacity, and a mental-health professional would be a resource to get help to that person.

"It's about being preventative," Blair said. "We don't want to jail people who have mental health issues."

However, Blair is still unsure if the department would want to hire a psychologist, other staff member or create some sort of program with the $92,000 for mental health. Meyer said the decision is up to the police department.

"We don't think we'll solve this issue," Meyer said. "We'll be a piece of that along with other agencies."

Last year, the city added three jailers and two officers to the police department for an additional $222,079 in personnel costs, according to the 2015-2016 budget. The personnel budget for the department also increased by $115,580 to account for raises, based on a salary-assessment study, according to the budget.

"The city made the commitment to bring us up to the minimum level," Blair said of competing with other departments of similar size.

Cape Girardeau police department has 70 officers, 49 of whom are patrolman, and 108 employees total, according to the 2015-2016 budget. The total budget of the department, $7,987,220 -- $6.7 million in salaries -- accounts for 32 percent of the city's general fund, its largest single segment of the fund, according to the 2015-2016 budget.

Walker and Bowen said a larger police force is what residents wanted, referring to a 2012 citizens survey. On that survey, residents listed economic development and business and job retention as their top priorities. Crime and safety and road maintenance and traffic tied for second.

The Cape Girardeau street department, covering 200 miles of roadways, has a budget of $2,983,506 -- for 11 percent of the city's budget. The street department has 21 employees, although more than $1 million of the department's expenses are materials and supplies. Public works, including streets, sewer and water, has a larger portion of the total budget than public safety.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

40 S. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.