CHAFFEE POLICE DEPARTMENT GETS MAJOR OVERHAUL

Chaffee Police Chief Jerry Bledsoe at a computer retrieving arrest records of on-going investigations.

CHAFFEE -- When Jerry Bledsoe became chief of the Chaffee Police Department in February 1992, he inherited an agency with an antiquated filing and reports system, just one typewriter and two worn-out police cars. The department was viewed by many as something less than a professional operation, caught up in some kind of time warp.

"It was sort of behind the times," said Bledsoe, an 18-year law enforcement officer who is originally from Sikeston.

"It was a good, little police department when I got here, he said. "The only problem was everyone else had moved forward over the years and the Chaffee Police Department had stayed basically the same."

Bledsoe said the citizens of Chaffee and many who live outside the city tended to look down on the department. Bledsoe said that in the past when a felony occurred in Chaffee a Scott County deputy sheriff had to be called to conduct the investigation because the Chaffee Police Department didn't have trained personnel or investigative and evidence-collection equipment to conduct its own investigation.

"I wanted to get the Chaffee Police Department back in the eyes of the public as a professional police department," said the chief. "We may be a small-town police department, but that's no excuse for not being the best professional small-town police department possible -- one that the citizens of Chaffee can be proud of."

Bledsoe has been involved in law enforcement since he was in the Sikeston Department of Public Safety's high-school police cadet program. He later served as a reserve and full-time Sikeston officer, and worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons as an officer at the maximum-security federal penitentiary at Marion, Ill. Bledsoe also worked as a deputy sheriff for former Scott Coutny sheriff John Dennis and Scott Coutny Sheriff Bill Ferrell. Bledsoe was chief deputy when he left the sheriff's department in March 1990.

After becoming chief, one of Bledsoe's first problems was the department's worn-out police cars. The department had a 1986 Ford LTD and 1988 Chevrolet Caprice that were purchased as used police cars from the state.

Both cars had high mileage when they were purchased. By the time Bledsoe became chief, it was costing a small fortune to keep them running.

"One or the other was in the shop all the time for this, that, and the other," said Bledsoe. "As soon as we'd get one car out of the shop, the other one would have to go in. We could never have both cars operating at the same time very long."

Bledsoe discovered the police department's office consisted of office furniture and "one pretty good electric typewriter." He took his own typewriter to the office because one was not enough.

There was no computer system. All of the police department's arrest records and reports were filed manually, making it difficult to locate them promptly. Bledsoe said records and reports are vital to any police department, large or small. "These records and reports are used by our officers, the general public, insurance companies, prosecutors, attorneys, and other court officers," he said.

"You can tell right off the bat what kind of police department you're dealing with by the way they prepare their reports and the appearance of those reports," he said.

Before any major changes could take place, Bledsoe had to put together a police department budget so that the Chaffee Board of Aldermen and the Police Commission could get some idea of what kind of money would be involved in upgrading the department.

Bledsoe said he enjoys an excellent working relationship with Mayor Ron Moyers, the board and the commission.

"I can honestly say that since I've been here, I have not had any problems," he said. "I think they realized that the police department was behind the times, and it was going to take a little money to get it built back up. They've really worked with me. I'm very pleased with the way everything has gone."

With a budget in hand, Bledsoe went to the board and commission with a request for two new police cars to end the constant cycle of expensive monthly repair bills. The city authorized the purchase of two vehicles -- 1992 and 1993 Ford Crown Victorias with the standard law enforcement package. Both cars were purchased under the state contract purchase system, which enabled the city to save a considerable amount of money.

The cars are marked vehicles and are equipped with emergency lights and sirens. Bledsoe continues to use the unmarked 1988 Chevrolet as a his car. It also serves as a backup unit.

The department's next purchase was a small, inexpensive computer that now holds all of the department's arrest records. Bledsoe said having the records on computer makes it easier for officers to retrieve them when needed.

There are two electric typewriters in the department's squad room that his officers use to prepare reports. Bledsoe said he wants another computer terminal to replace the typewriters. "I've got a computer in the new budget; if it's approved we'll use the computer to prepare and store our reports," the chief said.

"We'll use a software package that will have the report form printed on the screen. All the officer will have to do is fill in the blanks. It will save a lot of time for the officers and get them back on the street much quicker. It will also make the officers' reports look much more professional and easier to read."

Bledsoe has conducted training for the department's six commissioned officers on writing and preparing reports.

Bledsoe pointed out that the department now conducts its own felony investigations instead of asking for assistance from the sheriff's department. "I feel we can now handle whatever comes up here in town," the chief said.

Bledsoe said he's not finished with his effort to make the department one of the most professional police departments in the region.

"We've still got a lot of work to do," the chief said. "I want to get that other computer system for the squad room. We need to start replacing our worn-out radios. They've provided real good service, but like everything else they do wear out, and the radios are vital for the safety of our officers when they're out of their car."

Bledsoe said he would like to purchase video cameras for the squad cars. "They're great for making cases and to protect the officer," he said.

The chief said it would be nice to have a Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System and National Crime Information Center computer terminal. But, he said, "We just don't have the amount of entries to justify having a terminal at this time. If we need a MULES or NCIC inquiry, we can have the sheriff's department at Benton handle it for us."