SEMO football, Cape police team up to help send minorities to police academy

There has been no shortage of stories reported through the years on interactions between collegiate athletic programs and law enforcement, however, the majority of those instances have been told in a negative light.

The Southeast Missouri State University football program will be getting involved with the Cape Girardeau Police Department this weekend, with the difference being, there will be no confrontations or arrests, just an abundance of soap and water.

The Redhawk student-athletes and coaches, along with members of the Cape Girardeau police, will be hosting a benefit car wash from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at the police headquarters (2530 Maria Louise Lane).

The minimum donation is $10 and the proceeds will go to the Minority Police Academy Scholarship Fund, which has been started and managed by the community organization One City.

“As a program,” seventh-year Southeast football coach Tom Matukewicz said recently, “we have always tried to step up in things like this. It goes back to what is the purpose of SEMO football? It is to use the sport to make better men.”

Cape Girardeau police chief Wes Blair speaks to the Southeast Missouri State University football program last month at the Show Me Center.Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com, file

Last month, Matukewicz invited three law enforcement officers to speak to his team on several “difficult” topics ranging from racial profiling to how to interact with police to a lack of diversity within law enforcement.

“Diversity is a big issue with police departments,” said Wes Blair, police chief for the City of Cape Girardeau. “In total transparency, I have one black officer out of 85 police officers in my department.”

Blair explained there are several reasons for that — not excuses — but reasons, one of which is the prohibitive cost of attending the police academy.

“We do not have the resources to hire somebody and have them go through the police academy,” Blair said. “The police academy here is about $6,000. That eliminates some of the disadvantaged or minority populations.”

When Matukewicz learned of the issue, he began to ponder ways to attack it.

“The academy cost is something we felt like we could do something about,” Matukewicz said. “The team wants to do something, we all want to do something, this is our football way of trying to make a difference.”

One City has established the fund, which will be used to assist an African American candidate who is currently attending the police academy and needs immediate financial assistance.

Matukewicz said he feels raising money will be a much more tangible way of making a difference in this community.

“Some people want to hashtag,” Matukewicz said, “or wear a shirt or do a march, but what does that actually improve?

“This is actually going to try and make a difference. Maybe we can get two minorities (enrolled) in January, and then in six months maybe three. We’ll feel like we have moved the needle.”