A NEWS ANALYSIS OF THE CAPE POLICE DEPARTMENT STUDY; BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE

The $43,569 spent to examine the Cape Girardeau Police Department in minute detail could have been used to purchase 62 new bulletproof vests or about the same number of Remington 870 Express tactical shotguns for officers.

Instead, it bought the department a vision of the future.

Although many officers still would prefer vests or guns -- the study itself cited equipment shortfalls in the department -- some who said the independent consultant's study was a waste of money and time are changing their minds.

"The new chief coming in will have something great to work with," said Richard "Butch" Eggimann, a city council member who opposed the study when it was suggested in January.

The study, paid for by the city's Cash-Drug Forfeiture Account, was initiated by concerns about high police turnover. A total of 47 officers and civilian personnel -- out of 110 staff positions -- left the department in 13 months. The Police Executive Research Forum of Washington, D.C., which conducted the study, called this a reason for low morale in itself, with short staffing and increased overtime as a result.

But when the morale problem is mentioned, the PERF study points its finger at the department's top management "being out of touch' with the rank and file."

Although councilman Hugh White said this information was not a revelation to anyone, documenting it was important. He voted for the study.

"We outside the department heard the allegations, but asked for evidence," White said.

Both White and councilman Tom Neumeyer said they do not see the study as a condemnation of Rick Hetzel's five-year tenure as chief. They said it was natural that Hetzel, who sought to make professional changes in the department, would meet resistance.

"He's one of the best chiefs we've ever had," Neumeyer said. "He brought in a professional approach, and some officers weren't ready for that."

Council members Jay Purcell, who voted against the PERF study, and Frank Stoffregen could not be reached for comment.

Mayor Al Spradling said he believes several factors have influenced police turnover and low morale. He points out the study does not place blame solely on one person.

Rick Hetzel, who took a job as public relations director for St. Francis Medical Center in June, said Tuesday when the draft version of the study was released that he had not been out of touch with officers, and supported them. He characterized the findings as unfair.

Later in the week, he declined to discuss the study further, stating since he was no longer involved in department affairs, it would be inappropriate.

Deja vu all over'

But Henry Gerecke, Cape Girardeau police chief from 1974-81, is just starting to talk about the study of his department 20 years ago.

He read news reports about the study's results with a deep sense of irony this week. It showed him how little has changed since his term.

"It's like that baseball player said," said Gerecke, who retired as chief after a similar study in 1981 criticized his administration. "It's deja vu all over again."

Gripes about unresponsive leadership filled the pages of studies in 1981 and 2001. Both studies coincided with the departure of a career military officer turned police chief from the department. Questions of the studies' usefulness were also common themes then and now.

Gerecke is still bothered about the 1981 study. He said it made little impact except to change chiefs.

"About the only thing that was done was senior officers were told to wear white shirts," he said.

Study supporters

But the 2001 study is finding supporters within the department.

Police department changes in the past five years only gave an appearance of openness, said patrolman Curtis Session, president of the Cape Girardeau Police Officers Association.

Monthly meetings were created as a forum for all department personnel to voice their views, and 13 review committees were organized to give a wide group of officers participation in department operations. Added layers of decision-makers actually slowed down the purchase of bulletproof vests with money raised by the officer's association, Session said.

"These committees just voted us to death," he said.

The PERF study gives 21 recommendations to improve management of the department, including more direct decisions on small matters by top management, a freer flow of information at all department levels, and greater emphasis on career development.

Many officers initially had a negative view of the PERF study. Session sees it as a resource for hiring a new police chief, since it gives a clear view of where the department has been.

The return of officers who left the department in the past five years is a sign that morale is improving, Sessions said. Dan Simmons plans to return to the department this summer, and three other officers have told Sessions they'd like to come back, he said.

Another morale boost has been a more liberal policy toward officers holding second jobs, Sessions said.

Morale subjective

Determining whether the department's morale was poor in February when consultants from PERF visited the department or good now is completely subjective, said department spokesman Lt. Carl Kinnison.

"How do you know what morale is?" he said. "It means different things to different people."

Kinnison noted that the study found police were satisfied with the morale in their units, but had negative views of attitudes in other parts of the department.

Councilman Matt Hopkins, who said he has been more actively observing the department lately, thinks the morale question has become moot.

"I think the morale issue is solving itself," he said.

Correcting equipment problems listed in the study will take money. PERF suggests that the department find an officer adept at writing grants, but police and city officials say it's not that easy.

Spradling said one area that could free money would be elimination of the police department's jail, the design of which was criticized in the study. Transferring all city prisoners to the new Cape Girardeau County jail should be considered, he said.

Since the city's sales tax is marginally down, revenue doesn't exist to improve the police department, Neumeyer said. Possibilities of a bond or a law enforcement tax would be hard to pass, he said.

Eggimann hopes that more grants will be pursued.

Some problems solved

Some equipment problems that PERF saw in February have been solved, Kinnison said. Every new officer gets a new bulletproof vest, and replacement vests for veteran officers who want them is not a problem, he said.

Radio communications, which has been a two-and-a-half year struggle of buying and replacing equipment, has also gotten better. Some areas of the city that have topographically impeded police radio signals for years have been mastered this month, Kinnison said.

Some perceived equipment problems never existed. A lack of shotguns for officers, as stated in the PERF study, is incorrect. The department maintains 12 shotguns, which officers are able to check out as needed, Kinnison said.

Making the PERF study into an agent for change will be the joint responsibility of the council and the new police chief, several councilmen said.

However, Eggimann said city manager Michael Miller is ultimately responsible for realizing the goals of the PERF study.

"The buck stops with him," Eggimann said. "It doesn't stop with the police chief."

Whether the 2001 study is allowed to change the department depends on the officers who have remained, he said.

"Whether right or wrong, there were certainly personal conflicts in this situation here," Kinnison said. "Once that main conflict is gone, things change."

PERF recommendations The Police Executive Research Forum of Washington, D.C., had 21 main recommendations for improvements in the Cape Girardeau Police Department. A summary of those follows:

1. While seeking to best suit community needs, the chief must also seek to meet the needs of the police officers expected to provide those services.

2. The department's executive command staff must make every effort to keep accurate information flowing throughout the department. Holding regular meetings is key, but agendas should consist of topical issues set both by the command staff and at every level of the department.

3. The trust that has been lost between top management and the rank-and-file must be re-established. Information must be timely, accurate and transparently truthful.

4. Top management should establish department-wide priorities after soliciting input from throughout the organization.

5. A strategic plan should be developed toward the accomplishment of prioritized goals. There should be periodic reports on progress.

6. Decisions should be made without undue delay.

7. Top management should demonstrate that favoritism and discrimination will not be tolerated.

8. Issues having to do with morale, respect and frustration over equipment were most commonly cited among those who have left the department. Those issues should be addressed to slow turnover.

9. Promotion interviews must be fair and consistent for all who participate.

10. Every effort must be made to eradicate the perception that female and/or civilian employees are not regarded as highly as male or sworn members of the department.

11. The department needs to place greater focus on career development. This ranges from offering employees the opportunity to attend training that may enrich their jobs to specifying particular positions that can be rotated on a regular basis.

12. The department should consider temporary rotations for career development purposes.

13. The city must strive to keep up with comparable police departments in the region in salary issues.

14. The city and department should prioritize funding for uniforms and equipment officers and others need to do their jobs properly and safely.

15. The department should try to keep some high-tech headgear and heavy-duty armor on hand for distribution in case it is needed.

16. An inclusive committee should be established to identify, prioritize and document equipment needs and recommend a plan of action on how to fund improvements.

17. The radio transmissions of officers cannot be heard in certain parts of the city. This problem needs to be addressed.

18. Vehicle enhancements, such as installing backseat cages, should be done as funding becomes available. Until then, such vehicles should be requested when necessary for transporting unruly prisoners.

19. Officers' concerns about using tape recorders in hostile situations are unwarranted. It should be reinforced to officers that this protects them as well as the department.

20. The department should procure portable radio holders for use on uniformed officers' gun belts. Having officers carry portable radios in their pockets presents a risk to this costly equipment.

21. The department's budget should be formatted to show the allocation of funds by unit. That allows individual unit managers to better understand available resources.