SENIOR TOUR OF LIGHTS FEATURES DECORATIONS, CHAT WITH OFFICERS

The upcoming Senior Tour of Lights will not only give area senior citizens a chance to see holiday decorations, it also will offer them a chance to get to know law enforcement officers.

The tour, which will leave at 6 p.m. Dec. 16 from the Cape Girardeau Senior Center, is sponsored by SALT (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together), a local chapter of the Triad Council, a collaboration of the American Association of Retired Persons, the National Sheriff's Office and the International Chiefs of Police.

Buses will take seniors on a tour of holiday lights and on each bus will be three to four law enforcement officers, said Dr. William Bourns, a member of SALT and an assistant professor in the criminal justice department at Southeast Missouri State University.

"Most of the seniors know what the lights look like," Bourns said. "But they come for the companionship and to ride with the officers."

The law enforcement officers, who will come from the Cape Girardeau Police Department, Jackson Police Department and Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department, will answer questions and talk about crime prevention and safety issues, Bourns said.

"It allows the police to give crime information in a non-threatening situation," Bourns said.

The bus tour is just one of SALT's efforts to bring seniors and law enforcement personnel together. Next spring there will be a conference on crime safety issues.

The movement in criminal justice is toward community policing, Bourns said. Activities like the bus tour get police officers and citizens interacting.

In addition to talking with law enforcement officers during the bus tour, which will last about one hour, the evening also will include entertainment and refreshments at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center after the bus tour. The entertainment will be the Grace Notes Hand Bell Choir from Grace United Methodist Church.

The tour is free, but reservations are required by Dec. 15 by calling 335-1352. That is also the number to call to arrange transportation from Jackson to the senior center in Cape Girardeau.

SENIOR TOUR OF LIGHTS

6 p.m. Dec. 16

Buses will leave from Cape Girardeau Senior Center, 921 N. Clark St. After the approximately one-hour tour, there will be a musical program and refreshments at the senior center. Admission is free but reservations are required by Dec. 15 by calling 335-1352.