ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATE CITES GROWTH IN RURAL CRIME

"It's time to take crime in rural Missouri seriously," Republican attorney general candidate David Steelman said here Friday.

"It has grown 400 percent in the last 20 years, and it is not any longer just a problem of the urban areas; it is a problem in rural areas," Steelman said.

Steelman pointed out that in the past 45 days six homicides have occurred in Cape Girardeau, an indication of growing crime in rural areas.

Steelman, who was joined at a press conference in Cape Girardeau by Republican state senatorial candidate Peter Kinder, said he would work closely with law enforcement authorities to help deal with rural crime.

Kinder endorsed Steelman's proposals and said, "As a new legislator, I will look forward to working with David to make the accounting and attack on rural crime the top priority of law enforcement."

In particular, Steelman said he would help major case squads by establishing a network of the units to assist local law enforcement upon request from local officials. Each law enforcement agency within the state would commit resources to the unit and have people available should a call for assistance come, he said.

Steelman said his office would be an umbrella agency for the major case squad but would not try to control it.

"My opponent thinks the attorney general's office ought to come in and take charge in rural areas," said Steelman. "I think we have to allow rural areas to deal out their own law enforcement but to support them with money, with personnel, and through innovative crime-fighting ideas."

"When violent crime grips any community, local law enforcement should be able to call for help when they need it," Steelman said. "Major case squads can help communities by pooling resources for extra manpower, crime-lab expertise, or even training programs."

Other components of his rural crime package would provide for the expansion of programs to assign experienced prosecutors and investigators from the attorney general's office to work with law enforcement agencies on criminal cases; increase the role for rural consumer offices of the attorney general; and create a rural crime advisory board to bring rural crime problems to the direct attention of the attorney general.

Kinder said that "whether we are talking about drug-related crime, theft or domestic violence, no community is immune from the amount and severity of crime we are seeing across Missouri."

He said an all-out effort on crime is an essential first step in dealing with many social issues.

Kinder said, "When we discuss education, economic development and any other social factor, you need to remember that it all begins with safe streets, security in your home or farm, and faith that government will stand by you to protect your rights - not just the criminals'."

Kinder read a letter from Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle, expressing his support for Steelman. In the Republican primary, the prosecutor endorsed John Hall for the nomination.

Swingle wrote: "I support David Steelman because I know he has the intelligence and creativity and drive to effectively champion the important changes that need to be made in the criminal justice system. He graduated first in his class in law school, and has a record as an effective legislator and skilled lawyer. He would make an excellent attorney general."

Steelman, who is running against state Sen. Jay Nixon of Hillsboro, said he opposed the Missouri Bureau of Investigation concept supported by his Democratic opponent.

"It's absurd," Steelman said of the plan. "In fact, what most people don't realize, the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, which has done a fabulous job, would in effect have been wiped out by my opponent's proposal of a Missouri Bureau of Investigation because it wiped out the drug enforcement unit of the Highway Patrol, which oversees the drug task force.

"There is not a better drug task force anywhere in the state of Missouri than the one here in Southeast Missouri," Steelman said.