Cape Girardeau police bid farewell to chief Steve Strong with respect, laughter

Capt. Carl Kinnison took over Strong's position on Friday.

At the last stroke of midnight last night, a 29-year career ended for police chief Steve Strong and a new phase began for Capt. Carl Kinnison. The police department honored its retired chief at an informal party on Friday.

Strong endured a "roasting" from his colleagues, in which he silently sat on a stool with his arms crossed as they revealed inside jokes and highlighted his character.

A seasoned practical joker, Strong super-glued coffee mugs to desks, covered desks with toilet paper and hid a dead chicken in the back seat of a car. He executed one of his most daring pranks on the day former police chief Howard Boyd made a long-distance professional trip. Strong, a captain then, placed on the passenger door of Boyd's car a magnetic decal that said "Jackson Taxi" and included a phone number.

"I made the whole trip up and back and didn't know it was there," Boyd said.

The decal was only one of a dozen that advertised businesses from house cleaning to trash hauling.

"He made me get rid of all my signs," Strong said.

Mayor Jay Knudtson made a special appearance. Strong was an "unbelievable leader," he said, who chose to stay out of the limelight.

"He's not one to talk to the media. He's not flashy. He's a silent leader," Knudtson said.

A deep level of commitment was one of Strong's qualities, Kinnison said. He arrived early and stayed late at the department, working on weekends, holidays and vacations.

"He has probably spent more time here than any other person in the history of this department," said Kinnison.

He exercised an "unbridled desire" to personally collect donations from the community, Kinnison said, crediting Strong with bringing in between $50,000 to $100,000.

Strong's recently promoted the fire sales tax. It enabled the Cape Girardeau Police Department to purchase 20 new squad cars, raise salaries for police officers and make renovations to the department.

Kinnison's 26 years with the department provides continuity, Strong said. The officers already respect him.

Boyd said that Kinnison is well-organized.

"He is quiet and methodical and effective," he said.

Kinnison plans no major changes in the near future.

"We can certainly hit the ground running and continue fighting the battles we battle every day," he said.

His immediate goal is to move the department into the next phase of the sales tax revenue. More equipment purchases are likely on the horizon, such as eight new cars each year, new portable radios for officers and mobile radios for each car.

jmetelski@semissourian.com

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Not so fast, Chief...

A motorcycle ride into the sunset will have to wait for retiring police chief Steve Strong. He lost the license plate for his Harley.

The city fleet license plate was in a saddle bag waiting to be installed when it came up missing, Strong said. "I may have take something out and pulled it out with it," he said.

The loss was listed in the routine daily log of police busines, alongside forgeries, arrests and a leash law violation. Strong, known for pranks as a young officer, said he searched diligently for the lost plate. He even considered the idea that it was payback for his own practical jokes.

"I would have preferred that. It would have been a lot easier."