State of the city address -- part 1: Public safety

Over my past year as mayor, most of my meetings and discussions with citizens, staff and the city council revolve around three comprehensive issues: public safety, infrastructure and economic development. All three are so interconnected and important to the success of our city that they demand equal focus. My annual state of the city message will come to you in three parts over the next few months, taking a deep look into each issue.

I start here with public safety.

First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude for our professional, dedicated public safety employees and officers who work hard every day to keep our community safe.

The police department is also committed to reviving community initiatives like the Neighborhood Roll Call and Coffee with a Cop, with the goal of establishing better connections with our community. Likewise, many citizens have engaged in neighborhood initiatives and discussions. This spirit of collaboration and unity in tackling difficult problems makes Cape Girardeau a better place, and I commend our city employees and citizens alike for their obvious passion for this city.

It's important to reflect on the achievements in public safety while acknowledging our challenges in maintaining a secure and thriving community. Highlights of achievements made this year include:

• Drops in some of the most serious crimes committed, such as homicide, assaults and robbery. Visit the city's police department website for the most up-to-date statistics.
• Continued investments in technology such as ShotSpotter gunfire detection and license plate readers that better enable law enforcement to find evidence and wanted individuals.
• The FY 2024 salary plan for the city has an annual starting pay for police officers of $44,512. This brings the total compensation package, including benefits, to a value of $66,337 for starting officers, which is comparable to or better than surrounding municipalities. Following an unprecedented wage increase of 11.7% in FY 2023, the FY 2024 budget includes a general wage increase of 3% for all city employees.
• Continued investment in three-year signing bonuses to buttress recruitment across all departments.
• In 2022, city staff created a revised pay plan for all employees. The plan includes a 5% step increase for all public safety employees for every four years of employment. All other employees earn this step increase every five years. Due to earlier retirement eligibility for public safety employees, this structure should more fairly address the unique career issues of our public safety employees, and it is an important benefit not found everywhere.
• New positions added to Cape PD in nuisance abatement, evidence collection and technical support. Nuisance has been moved back to the Cape PD from development services, where our police officers can best deal with municipal and criminal nuisance issues.
• A grant was co-awarded to Cape PD and Community Counseling Center that brings in mental health co-responders to assist in mental health interventions. This program is already assisting our officers to provide citizens with the right help quickly. It has been beneficial in assisting homeless community members.
• This year's budget includes nearly $60,000 to address health and wellness support for our public safety employees. This funding demonstrates a proactive approach to safeguarding our employees' well-being while promoting retention, enhancing performance and fulfilling the city's responsibility towards its dedicated workforce.

All this and more has been done to ensure the well-being of our residents and our public safety officers. The city council and staff continue an ongoing focus on possible improvements while addressing the complex issues that affect public safety in our city:

• Gun violence is among the greatest concerns. Our technology is improving in detection and evidence due to more areas being covered by ShotSpotter, cameras and targeted patrols. The state legislature, city council and staff, police department, community groups, families and other stakeholders must continue to openly and vigorously collaborate on crime prevention and prosecution issues.
• The state legislature has recently declined to put any age restrictions on the right to carry firearms. Our police officers are finding more juveniles carrying guns, often at the behest of adults with criminal intent, and no state law in Missouri makes it illegal for them to do so. The city will continue its focus on ensuring gun rights and ownership for hunting, sport or personal protection, while also maintaining public safety. However, allowing juveniles to carry weapons within city limits is a growing challenge for law enforcement in Cape Girardeau, and it will be an ongoing topic of discussion with the state.
• Our juvenile system is increasingly light on juvenile offenders, and our police officers are often told to release young offenders to guardians without seeing them face charges or time in detention -- even after dangerous or violent interactions. Left unaddressed, even minor issues can grow into larger problems when our young citizens do not perceive the full consequences of dangerous actions. Interaction and discussion with the juvenile system in our region will continue on this critical issue.
• Our residents and business owners are encountering more homeless people on their private property. This growing issue weighs private property rights and personal safety (in some cases) against protected speech and other individual rights. While it is not illegal to be homeless, and homeless individuals have the same right as all citizens to use public facilities, there is a growing and urgent need to address these specific issues in a way that respects rights while ensuring that collective public safety is maintained.

Certain landlords and properties see the lion's share of nuisance complaints and crime. The city has begun addressing these issues in numerous ways:

• Our recently reorganized Development Department will vigorously address vacant and condemned properties. Our annual budget will continue to add funding to the demolition fund. These condemned properties are a public health problem and often provide a safe haven for criminal behavior.
• Moving the nuisance department to the police department will put stronger teeth in enforcing nuisance issues, particularly those involving crime.
• This fall, the city will address the state legislature to advocate for changes to Missouri's Senate Bill 5. This law weakens municipal ordinances that deal with nuisance by virtually eliminating a city's ability to enforce punitive consequences. SB5 has had a profoundly negative effect on the city's ability to deal with nuisance issues, and improvements are needed.
• The city is committed to addressing the issues of problem rentals and nuisance properties with various stakeholders -- property owners and landlords, Realtors and renters. The city council and staff are open to feedback, and citizens can go to cityofcape/report at any time to let city staff know of an issue, ranging from too tall grass to criminal issues.

Public safety is any government's primary responsibility to its citizens. Together with the community and law enforcement, the city has achieved some significant benchmarks and important investments in enhancing public safety. Still, we recognize there is more to be done.

Lastly, I will note that according to a recent Missouri Chamber of Commerce poll, two-thirds of 600 CEOs across the state believe Missouri's rising crime rate is impacting the state's economic competitiveness. As we move forward, we must recognize the broader impact of public safety on our city's infrastructure and economic development. A safe and secure community is fundamental to attracting businesses, promoting investment, and enhancing the quality of life for all residents.

I look forward to sharing further updates on infrastructure and economic development in the coming months.

Stacy Kinder is the mayor of Cape Girardeau.