CAPE POLICE RECEIVE FEDERAL GRANT

A $32,000 federal grant for the Cape Girardeau Police Department will make for better communications and improved computers, the police chief said.

The U.S. Justice Department makes law enforcement block grants available annually, Chief Rick Hetzel said. Cape Girardeau police have been able to use it to buy new equipment or update out-of-date items for several years, he said.

In recent years, police have purchased new weapons and improved communications equipment.

The first phase of radio upgrades was completed last week, with new parts added to repeaters, Hetzel said. The second phase will involve purchasing voting repeaters, which will give radio transmissions much needed strength.

"We've had trouble with signal strength because the topography of Cape Girardeau is rolling hills and a river," Hetzel said. "When someone gets on another side of a hill, the signal is weak."

The addition of voting repeaters, which search for the most stable signal for a radio transmission, will correct the problem, he said.

The money will also go toward purchasing new computer software, which will make police department computers compatible with other city government computers.

Better computer-aided crime analysis and faster service for those seeking information from police will be added benefits, Hetzel said.

Charleston, Mo., also received a Justice Department grant. Their $13,238 grant will be used to improve the city's 911 system, said David Brewer, city administrator.

"This new system will protect our officers by giving them the most current information possible about the situation they are headed into," Brewer said.