Cape PD saves Christmas: Officers 'arrest' Grinch, talk holiday sacrifices

Every “who” in Cape Girardeau has probably seen the photos of the Grinch being “arrested” Sunday night by officers from the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

But for those who did not, the moment was captured by local photographer Ashley Irey.

Irey said her husband, Michael, had agreed to dress up as Dr. Seuss’ Grinch for a Grinch-themed event at Sugar Chic Creamery in downtown Cape Girardeau.

The Grinch’s arrest was staged by Irey after she put a call out on Facebook for help in making the moment happen.

“I thought, ‘You know, I feel like the Grinch should be arrested, and that would just be the funniest photo,’” Irey said.

She didn’t know many officers personally, but plenty of her Facebook contacts stepped in and began tagging officers by name.

Part of the outfit involved a prosthetic for the Grinch’s face, which Irey said “wasn’t really reusable.” In other words, Irey said she knew the photo would have to happen that night.

But after not hearing back from anyone tagged, Irey said she began to think the photo wasn’t meant to be. Irey said someone she knew had gotten a hold of Cpl. Paul Zajicek at the police department on her behalf about arranging the photo, and he explained the lack of response may have been due to the evening shift change at the department.

“[Zajicek] said [officers] were sitting in briefing and laughing because half the guys there had been tagged but they were all sleeping during the day,” Irey said.

The next thing she knew, patrolmen Matthew Tisher and Will Rogers were “arresting” the Grinch outside the police station at 2530 Maria Louise Lane, and she was able to capture it all.

The officers escorted the Grinch into a patrol car in the police station parking lot and even took him in for a mugshot, Irey said.

“I was just so grateful to them for taking time out of their night,” she said. “It was just really neat to see the [officers] have a sense of humor. ... I know that the persona they have to typically put out there is pretty tough, so it was really neat, I thought, to see all of them joking around.”

The fake arrest isn’t the only holiday fun the Cape Girardeau Police Department has had this season. Those following the department’s Facebook page may already know officers get into the holiday spirit with an Elf on the Shelf doll named “Chase the Elf.”

Public information officer Sgt. Joey Hann explained via text message Monday that many of the department’s officers and staff members have children who enjoy the tradition at home.

“We thought some families might enjoy seeing how an elf interacts with a police department,” Hann said of Chase the Elf. “Plus, from a public safety aspect, having an extra set of eyes making sure everyone was treating each other well seemed like a real bonus.”

Time of giving

Officers are also “active in giving,” Hann said, to support the community in charitable ways.

“During the month of December, we host a Toys for Tots drive, we raise money and volunteer for Special Olympics and we have several community mentors who supply gifts to children,” Hann wrote.

The department also organizes and participates in the Shop with a Hero program, Hann explained, which he said supplies gifts during a shopping spree for dozens of local children.

The department is fully staffed 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including Christmas and New Year’s Day, according to Hann.

“Our officers are very dedicated to serving the community so they are accustomed to placing their personal lives on hold to help those who may need it the most,” Hann wrote. “We also realize that we share in this personal sacrifice with medical personnel, firefighters, retail workers, members of our military and countless others who also miss out on time with their families.”

Hann explained holidays are especially stressful for some due to depression, additional family stressors and financial constraints. As a result, Hann said the holidays tend to bring a rise in domestic disturbances and mental health-related calls for service.

“Although our officers are making a sacrifice to serve the community instead of spending the holiday with their family, they realize that is a necessary compromise they all signed up for,” Hann wrote.

In his own life, Hann said his family has had to celebrate Christmas on different days or much later than they normally would to accommodate his work schedule. But having the support of his family makes the job easier, he said.

“When we spend time with our loved ones, we just concentrate on making that piece of time as meaningful as possible, regardless of when it may take place.”