Cape Police strengthening relationships with community

The Cape Girardeau Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Wes Blair, continues to go above and beyond to establish good relations in the community. We are fortunate to have men and women in uniform who are committed to their oath to serve. We realize that not every community has such community-friendly officers who display creative ways to engage with citizens and build trust.

Neighborhood Roll Call is one method police have employed to interact. Initiated in the summer of 2015, it allows people to get to know the police in friendly, relaxed situations. The program has continued, and its September event, the last of 2016, involved throwing a football to about 15 teenagers and children, as well as answering questions and joking around. "I'd do that my whole shift if I could," said Sgt. Darren Estes. Patrolman Tanner Heitt "seemed to have as much fun as the teenagers and said he wished every officer in the platoon could attend," according to the Southeast Missourian's Ben Kleine.

The Shop with a Hero program is another positive event, recently hosted at Wal-Mart. First responders help less fortunate children through a program that has existed for 25 years. Kids team up with officers to enjoy a shopping trip free provided by private donations.

Over the summer, the police department, along with other area first responders, came together for the Cops and Hawks Bowl, a flag football event organized with the Southeast Missouri State football team to raise money for BackStoppers.

Even canines have taken part in relationship building. On January 21, officers washed dogs at Mississippi Mutts to raise money for new canine officers, as the Cape PD's two canine cops are slated for retirement soon. These dogs provide valuable service and are needed.

Stop the Violence prayer march was an event to draw attention to violent crimes, and was organized by Stop Needless Acts of Violence Please (SNAP). People marched, sung, and, of course, prayed. Blair attended and was encouraged to see that people "can come together to make a better place."

The list of positive, trust-building engagement between police and community goes on, including downtown foot patrols, restaurant fundraisers and bicycle giveaways.

As the Southeast Missourian recently reported, arrests in major crimes have increased, which came with the help of people who saw something and were not afraid to tell the police; the relationships built thus enable trust to help solve crimes and keep our community safer.

We look forward to these outreach efforts continuing and commend the chief, his officers and staff on their efforts.