Cape Police Department swears in 3 officers

The Cape Girardeau Police Department was able to bolster its ranks Monday, swearing in three new officers as well as welcoming a jailer and a communicator.

Patrolmen Andrew Skinner, Bobby Newton and Chris Newton took their oath of office at City Hall, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.

The new officers all have previous law enforcement experience and will begin field training immediately, the post said.

Eric Thiele will join the department as a jailer and Maggie Carter will start as a communicator.

The department is among many police departments across the country that have struggled with staffing shortages since the beginning of the pandemic. In Mayor Stacy Kinder's State of the City address Aug. 5, she said there were 18 openings in officer positions, 11 jailer openings and three open positions in communications at that time.

"Various recruitment tactics are being conducted by our police department on an ongoing basis, and how those are prioritized moving forward will dictate the progress we hope to see," Kinder said in the address.

The City of Cape Girardeau has already taken efforts to remedy the shortage, including stipends and raising base pay for city employee salaries.

The department also has four cadets taking classes at the Southeast Missouri State University Law Enforcement Academy. Their expected graduation date is in December.