AID TO MERCHANTS; POLICE PROVIDE PHOTOS OF THOSE WHO STEAL OR WRITE BAD CHECKS

A program started late last year to safeguard city merchants from convicted shoplifters and bad check writers has shown some success.

Under the program, merchants are provided with photos of the offenders. Crime Prevention Officer Kevin Orr of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said at least two reports of arrests both from shoplifting incidents have taken place as a result of the photos.

"Any time something like that would lead to an arrest with someone, help with an arrest," Orr said, "it's obviously had some positive impact, which is what we want.

"The main thing is this just gives the businesses another way to be aware of who some of these people are and to watch for them pure and simple. The deterrent ... is to let everyone know that the stores have these and if they're going to take a chance to steal in Cape Girardeau, there's a good possibility they're going to get caught."

The program started around Thanksgiving, he said, and the intent now is to continue it. Police gave the businesses pictures of 21 convicted shoplifters and 20 convicted bad check writers, both forgers and people who have written checks with insufficient funds or on closed accounts, said Orr.

All the photos are Cape Girardeau police booking photos, said Orr. Police plan to add more photos over time, he said.

Orr said he couldn't estimate the number of businesses that received photos, but said it included all the businesses at West Park Mall and the retail members of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. Members of the city's Business Watch program are included, he said.

The owner of Garber's Men's Wear in the Town Plaza Shopping Center said he thought the photographs are "a wonderful help." The owner, Rodney Bridges, said the store has 15 to 20 of the pictures posted, with the people's names, on the wall of a small room behind the cash register.

Bridges said he hasn't caught anyone with the help of the pictures yet. "But we caught two people (stealing) last week," he said, "and we added their pictures up on the wall" with the others.

Three of the people in the pictures were recognized as people who frequent the store, he said.

"Now, knowing they're convicted shoplifters, we will never take our eyes off them when they come in our store. So it's a tremendous help in that respect."

Garber's is tough on shoplifters, Bridges warned. Bridges said even if someone steals the least expensive thing he could think of in the store, a $4 pair of socks, the store will either see that person in court, in jail, or both. Cost is immaterial, he said.

One of the arrests through the program took place at a business at the mall in November, Orr said. He did not name the business.

"Somebody recognized someone from the photograph, they watched them, they did steal some items, and they were able to detain them," he said.

In the second instance, he said, the people involved got out of the store, but the business had their photographs and were able to point out the suspects to police. Orr declined to name that business, saying the case is still being investigated.

Orr said this wasn't the first time that such a program was started here.

"There have been photographs that have been distributed in the past, at various points in time. But we had some businesses say that this was what they wanted, and we decided we could provide that."

Photos of the convicted shoplifters and bad check writers are available to city businesses by calling Orr at 335-6611.