Sidewalk rule gets more use by police in Cape

Dwight Armour is a lot happier about the safety of his neighborhood these days.

Armour and his wife, Sharon, appeared Monday at the Cape Girardeau City Council meeting to express his thanks to city leaders and police for taking a stronger stance against crime with a seldom-used ordinance.

The couple operate an adult group home, Jefferson Manor, on the corner of Jefferson and Pacific streets and reside with their 11- and 13-year-old daughters on Good Hope.

"Recently, the police presence in our neighborhood has increased," Dwight Armour said. "For that we're grateful, because otherwise the neighborhood would be overrun. We showed up to let the council know we are concerned citizens and we just aren't going to take it any more."

Since 0ct. 3, police have issued 41 tickets to people along several blocks of Jefferson Avenue and intersecting streets using an ordinance that targets pedestrians who aren't staying on the sidewalks and are hindering traffic.

In addition to the citations, police placed four people in custody and arrested two others when it was discovered they failed to appear in court on other charges.

From late August through September, the officers walked the neighborhood to warn people not to loiter on the streets, but the warnings went largely ignored, said patrolman Jason Selzer.

"Finally, it's come down to 'all right guys, if you're not going to listen to us, then we'll arrest you for it,'" Selzer said.

Since police have worked more foot patrols, it appears safer in the neighborhood, the Armours said.

"Before, unless someone got stabbed or shot, the neighborhood got little attention from the police," Sharon Armour said. "But now, you can really see the difference."

The crowds now disperse when a police car comes around the corner, and some even get off the streets at the sight of the Armours' car driving up, she said.

It can be difficult to drive on Hanover Street, Dwight Armour said. Some pedestrians slowly, as if in defiance, move out of the path of oncoming cars.

"Some of them even kick the tires of the people driving by," he said. "With the fights every night, the screams and the cursing -- it's a three-ring circus over there."

The Armours belong to a neighborhood watch group, which has been active this year in helping police spot problem areas and individuals, Ward 2 Councilman Charles Herbst said.

"We've had some meetings, and we're going to try to keep them going," Herbst said. "But I've told people that you've got to be patient because it isn't going to change overnight."

Hanover Street resident Jessie Mae Smith was happy to hear about the efforts made by police.

"That's a good thing, because those people aren't supposed to be out there. They ought to be home or somewhere else. There's no reason for them to be walking around out there unless they've got to go somewhere."

Dwight Armour worries for his wife's safety when she asks those loitering in the street to move along, but he wishes more residents would take a stand.

"They hang out in front of our home, our business, selling drugs, throwing bottles, playing, just being disrespectful in general. But with people stepping up, this problem can be taken care of. This community has been dealing with a shadow of hopelessness for so long, but I think the people are going to have to come together."

mwells@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160