With warmer weather, local police officials are gearing up to deal with more complaints, more crime and more work.

"You can expect an increase in violence," Jackson police Lt. Rodney Barnes said.

After months of being cooped up inside, criminals, like everybody else, take to the streets and enjoy the warmer weather, he said.

To help combat the possibility of more crime, some local police departments are taking steps to increase police presence.

In Jackson, more officers will be visible this summer than in past months, Barnes said. Cape Girardeau will implement a new strategy to combat crime with the formation of a special tactical shift. Because patrol officers run from call to call and miss opportunities to simply cruise the neighborhoods, the Cape Girardeau Police Department created a new team that will stake out designated "hot spots" in town on particular days and times when crimes have occurred in a pattern. This way officers will be able to create a police presence without worrying about driving away to another call, chief Carl Kinnison said.

According to statistics from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which gathers crime data from local police agencies, a slight rise in criminal activity occurred in warmer months in 2005 in Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

The number of monthly property crimes in Cape Girardeau, which include burglary and theft, eclipsed 200 only once in 2005 -- in July. The most occurrences of violent crimes -- rape, robbery and assault -- occurred in September, when there were 23.

From the beginning of the year in 2005, crime in Cape Girardeau rose nearly 1 percent each month until May, where it dropped to 182 from 201 crimes in April. In June, the rise continued.

Statistics for Jackson were less uniform. Both June and November saw the highest number of crimes for the town at 32, and October saw the most violent crimes, with four. After overall crimes declined January through March, they shot up more than 100 percent to 31 crimes in April.

During the warmer months in Jackson, two officers will be using bicycles. Barnes said officers on bicycles can go places cars cannot and are stealthier.

"A robber is going to be listening for a car. They're not going to hear a bike come," he said. Cape Girardeau also has a bicycle unit.

Jackson also will step up enforcement of drunken driving, a crime that that rises in summer.

Kinnison said Cape Girardeau police respond to more calls reporting drug sales and prostitution during the summer.

Nuisance-type crimes also appear to increase in the summer, according to Cape Girardeau police Capt. Roger Fields. Nuisance abatement officers have their hands full in summer months responding to complaints of overgrown lawns and litter, he said. Three officers work full time on nuisance abatement. In the future the department may hire someone to help part time in summer months, according to Fields.

While there are currently no plans for a mass drug-bust operation like last summer's on the Hanover Street open-air drug market, Kinnison would not discount the possibility.

He reminded residents that all tips from them are appreciated, but stressed that often police cannot immediately act on the tips, especially if police are attempting to build up a stronger case against the suspects.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127