CUTTING CRIME: POLICE OPEN SUBSTATION

Cape Girardeau police are hoping to take a bigger bite out of crime with the official opening of the Good Hope neighborhood police station.

With the simple snip of the ceremonial ribbon, Cpl. Charlie Herbst ushered in a new era -- and a new outlook -- for the neighborhood surrounding Good Hope Street.

Located in Dr. George Ringland's former office at 629 Good Hope, the newly-remodeled community police office is small and personable -- but serious in its approach.

The substation will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Summer hours will be extended, police said. Another substation is planned for the city's west side.

Herbst said the station will be used around-the-clock. During the evening and midnight shifts, the canine officer and zone officer will work from the substation.

Police hope the extended hours will reduce crime in the area. "We want people to be able to walk in to either report a crime, ask questions, or help us deter crime," Herbst said.

Deterring crime and restoring economic vitality to decaying neighborhoods is the heart and soul of a federal program called Weed and Seed. Established through the U.S. Attorney's office and the Department of Justice, Weed and Seed provides grant money to cities and communities in need.

The primary source of funding for the substation comes from federal Weed and Seed grants.

"Weed and Seed's primary function is to improve the community, decrease crime, and empower the residents of targeted areas," said Deborah Hamilton, a Cape Girardeau native and seeding coordinator for the area Weed and Seed program.

The Weed and Seed initiative started in Southeast Missouri about three years ago and just recently in the Cape Girardeau area.

"It was about a year ago when the police, along with regional director Calvin Bird, got together to start a Weed and Seed project in Cape Girardeau," said Hamilton.

The program focuses on community policing, community restoration and empowerment, and prevention/intervention and treatment.

"The Southeast area, and Cape Girardeau, could benefit drastically from any of those initiatives," noted Hamilton.

Establishing a neighborhood police station is a special commitment of the Cape Girardeau police to a targeted community. It says that the police support the residents and that they want to make life better, Hamilton said.

"It also says to the undesirable element," Hamilton said, "that we are here and we aren't going anywhere."

But don't mistake the program as just another tool for cornering the market on neighborhood crime. It goes beyond that -- far beyond that.

"We're going to have a computer learning lab for after-school kids that volunteers will run," said Cpl. Herbst. "Whatever we can do for the community."

The program takes a pro-active approach in community relations. Weed and Seed is designed to give neighborhood youth positive things to do -- such as learning about and using computers or volunteering. Or simply asking a question when no one else seems to understand or care.

"Officer Hammond and myself have actually worked this neighborhood since 1994 and I think this shows we are not going away and that we have made a commitment to the neighborhood," said Herbst.

Other Southeast Missouri communities with Weed and Seed programs include Caruthersville, Poplar Bluff, Sikeston, and Charleston.