LETTERS: JOINT EFFORT FOR EAST CAPE POLICING

To the editor:

Recently the village of East Cape Girardeau and the Alexander County Sheriff's Department entered into a joint cooperative agreement to provide police protection for the citizens of East Cape. The community policing program is being done in conjunction with the Neighborhood Watch program. This partnership is one of the first in Southern Illinois and is proving to be very successful.

As a small community with a limited budget, this had provided us with the resources and the ability to provide this valuable and positive service to our citizens. Not only is it much needed, but the citizens of East Cape deserve it.

I want to commend Sheriff Buddy Mitchell and his staff for their excellent professional service that they are providing in East Cape. It proves that by working together great things can and do happen. Also, I would like to thank Alexander County Commissioners Chuck Bonifield and Joey Thurston for their support in this project.

Being a former basketball player and having played against some great players and coaches in Southern Illinois, I am always reminded of what teamwork can accomplish. The community policing program is a team effort that will benefit all parties involved in the project. It is always great to hear and see positive responses rather than negative ones.

JOE R. ALLEN, Mayor

East Cape Girardeau