Bond sees fruits of his legislative labor in Cape

U.S. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., visited Cape Girardeau Thursday to tour the construction site of the new federal courthouse and to talk with area police chiefs and sheriffs about Missouri's leadership in drug eradication.

According to Brad Scott of the General Service Administration of Kansas City, the courthouse is about 16 percent complete and he expects it to be finished by spring of 2006.

Bond asked many questions about the construction of the courthouse and its ability to withstand attack or earthquake. Gene Schreckengost, general superintendent, explained for the senator how the 170 piers that will support the building are sunk into granite anywhere from 25 to 80 feet. The building is, Schreckengost said, "a building on stilts" and will be a safe place to be in the event of an earthquake.

"It's going to be a magnificent facility," the senator said. "Having good facilities is one part of law enforcement -- making sure the judicial system functions well in Southeast Missouri."

Law enforcement officers say Bond is the reason they have been busy fighting methamphetamine production. Four years ago Bond established the Missouri Sheriffs Methamphetamine Relief Team (MoSMART). Since then, he has funneled nearly $10 million in federal funds into the program, and was able to secure an additional $2.5 million for MoSMART in the 2004 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan, who helped Bond establish MoSMART, said that last year in Missouri officers made more than 5,000 drug-related arrests.

"The reason we are being as successful as we are is MoSMART is out there," Jordan said. "We're affecting over 90 percent of the counties in Missouri."

The reason MoSMART works, Jordan said, is because the money it provides pays salaries.

"A lot of programs focus on equipment," Jordan said. "MoSMART concentrates on putting warm bodies into the field. You have to have informants, and the only way you can get those is by having warm bodies out in the field."

Bond also visited the Southeast Missouri Crime Lab and talked to the staff there about their continued need for funding to pay for the increased work they are doing analyzing drug evidence. The crime lab handles more than 3,000 cases annually and processes evidence for the majority of criminal cases in 21 Southeast Missouri counties.

Bond said he was able to secure more than $2 million in federal funds in the last four years to help the lab relocate, renovate its new location and buy needed equipment. Interim director Pamela Johnson said that once some new employees are fully trained and all equipment is up and running, the lab will be able to keep up with the demand better.

While Bond was in Cape Girardeau he also attended a barbecue in his honor at Black Forest Village.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160