Cape police to give tours of station

The public will have three opportunities this month to get a behind-the-scenes look at the workings of the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

The department will host a pair of open houses next week and a building overview later this month, a spokesman said.

"We're just going to be giving tours and showing people the building and the electronics -- just a lot of details about the building that a lot of people don't know about," said Patrolman Darin Hickey, public information officer for the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

The tours, scheduled for Tuesday and March 14, and the building overview by Chief Wes Blair, set for March 18, will serve a twofold purpose, Hickey said.

First, seeing the interior of the building will give the public a sense of the space issues the department faces, Hickey said.

While city leaders frequently discuss the need for a new police station, most people are unaware of the actual challenges of working in the 39-year-old station, Hickey said.

He hopes the tours will give officers a chance "just to explain in further detail what we're lacking -- to show the cramped space and the room, to show those details to the public that aren't seeing it readily as they drive by."

The second goal of the tours is to make the public feel more at ease with the department and its officers, Hickey said.

"The idea with getting the community involved in the police department and law enforcement in general is that they feel more comfortable with all aspects," he said. "... It's to open those lines of communication between the public and the police department."

Blair has said community outreach is a high priority as he seeks to build a rapport between officers and civilians, and Hickey said the tours are a continuation of that effort.

"We're just doing a different tactic in trying to show people the police department -- just doing something additional," Hickey said. "We've always encouraged community involvement, and we've always encouraged cooperation, and this is just another way to try to encourage that community involvement."

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

40 S. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, MO

Behind the scenes

What: Open house and tour of the Cape Girardeau Police Department

When: 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday; 10 a.m. to noon Friday

What: Building overview, including tour and presentation by Cape Girardeau Police Chief Wes Blair

When: 5 p.m. March 18

Where: Cape Girardeau Police Department, 40 S. Sprigg St.