Blair reports shots fired are down since a year ago

At Friday morning's First Friday Coffee event hosted by the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, police chief Wes Blair opened with a joke.

Walking up to the podium for his keynote address, Blair snatched the air horn used for speakers who talk too long, saying, "No one air-horns the police chief."

Blair soon became more serious when he discussed what a roller-coaster year this has been for the Cape Girardeau Police Department. After the death of assistant chief Roger Fields in March, changes were made within the department. Blair said he was impressed with how his staff stepped up in needed areas. Blair described Fields as his right-hand man -- that he was essential in Blair's early days as chief. Blair signed on as head of the department last summer.

From there, Blair continued on a positive note, saying 12 promotions have occurred for various officers this year.

He also said in the past six months, police have had 20 confirmed calls of shots fired, with 10 resulting in victims being injured.

However, Blair said that number isn't an increase from last year, with 24 confirmed calls of shots fired and six injuries during the same time frame.

Despite what people have been saying since four homicides in the city since June, Blair said he believes Cape Girardeau is a safe place to live. He said it frustrates him when he hears about people avoiding certain areas where he and his family feel perfectly safe.

In the past year, the police department has deployed the Street Crimes Task Force, and since its start, 46 criminals have been taken off the streets -- a number met with a round of applause.

Blair spoke of the support the department receives from the community and how in recent months its goal has been to continue strengthening that bond. Plans include body cameras for officers and installing an anonymous texting service for people to send in information and photos they wouldn't otherwise share.

The police department has begun two community events since August -- Coffee with Cops, where people were invited to share a cup of coffee with neighborhood police officers; and National Night Out, where families were invited to bring their children to the Target parking lot to play in a bounce house and learn more about the officers and their squad cars.

Blair concluded by saying what a privilege it's been to work with the Cape Girardeau Police Department, how grateful he is to all of his co-workers, and he hopes the department will continue keeping Cape Girardeau a great place to live.

The next First Friday Coffee will be at 7 a.m. Oct. 3 at the Isle Casino Cape Girardeau Event Center.

smaue@semissourian.com

388-3644

Pertinent address:

777 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.