Changeovers completed by local law enforcement

One area law enforcement agency saw dramatic change while at another nothing significant was altered when new leadership took over in 2005.

And the administration of justice had a new face as well last year when Circuit Judge Benjamin Lewis took his post in the 32nd Judicial Circuit, which includes Cape Girardeau, Perry and Bollinger counties.

Sheriff Rick Walter in Scott County overhauled the uniforms deputies wear, the cars deputies drive and the hours they work. For the first time, the sheriff's office is a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week operation.

Cape Girardeau hired a new police chief, promoting Carl Kinnison to the job previously held by Steve Strong. Kinnison said the distinguishing mark of the transition was no big change.

"The foundation has been built, and we are building on top of that," Kinnison said. "I just kind of see it as continuing the momentum."

Lewis and Walter were hired by voters in the November 2004 election; Kinnison was selected for his job by city manager Doug Leslie.

When Kinnison joined the Cape Girardeau Police Department in 1979, he said he intended to stay for three to five years and move on to a larger city. His 27th anniversary with the force was Feb. 1.

He's seen the department grow to more than 70 officers and plans to stick around for at least another five or so years, when he reaches retirement age.

In contrast to the situation in Cape Girardeau, Walter saw numerous things that needed changing when he began work Jan. 1, 2005. He strode in to assume his post minutes after the new year began.

The changes in uniforms and cars were more than cosmetic, Walter said. Former sheriff Bill Ferrell, who held the job for 28 years, had his name displayed on the patrol cars and uniforms, so the cars were repainted and the uniforms replaced.

Walter brought a mix of business acumen and law enforcement experience to the job. During 2005, his department spent about $160,000 less than its $2 million budget allowed, despite the implementation of 24-hour road patrols.

In 2004, the department handled 972 calls for service; in 2005, the number was 4,669. Taxpayers "want the best bang for their buck, and that's what we're doing now."

And Walter isn't just an administrator. He actively investigates cases when time allows, he said.

"I like to be a working sheriff. I like being involved in some of the cases the department is working on," said Walter. "It doesn't allow me a lot of time to politic, but I am not a politician. The people elected me to do a job, and that's what I am doing."

County officials like the change. "We have a better dialogue than we did in the past," Commissioner Jamie Burger said. "In the past, when we had disagreements, it never could come to a resolution. Someone who had the ultimate authority to make a decision would just step in and do it their way.

"With Sheriff Walter, when we have a difference of opinion ... we come to a compromise."

The election that brought Walter into office also saw the return of Benjamin Lewis to the bench. Lewis, a Cape Girardeau lawyer, was associate circuit judge from 1990 to 1994, when he lost a bid for the job he now holds.

The election for Lewis, a Republican, was one of the tightest in the area in November 2004. He lost to incumbent John Heisserer in Cape Girardeau and Perry counties, but won by a wide enough margin in Bollinger County to win the seat by 272 votes out of more than 47,000 cast.

"It was darn close," Lewis said. "Voters said, 'You can be a judge, but don't get a big head about it."

Lewis was elected to fill the final two years of the term of John W. Grimm, who resigned in 2002 to go into private practice. Heisserer was appointed to the post in March 2003

Lewis must face voters again in November for a full six-year term.

And like his 2004 campaign, Lewis said he will not take any contributions from lawyers. "Any two lawyers can come into my office and they don't have to be the least bit concerned with anyone perceiving that my decision is influenced by a contribution from one or the other."

The most striking discovery upon assuming the judicial robes was the size of the criminal docket in the three-county circuit, Lewis said. When he was associate circuit judge handling criminal court, he said, he had an impression that circuit judges spent a great deal of time on civil cases.

But during 2005, he said, he presided over only three civil jury trials. Most civil cases are settled prior to trial, he said.

Every other Monday, however, Lewis spends the entire day working the Cape Girardeau County criminal docket. And the kinds of cases opened his eyes as well, he said.

"One thing that did surprise me was the streak of horrendous child sexual abuse cases that I had to try this year," he said. "I knew it was out there, but it was unusual to get such a run of it in one year."

This year, Lewis will be presiding judge of the circuit. That means extra paperwork handling case assignments and other office duties.

To become a judge, Lewis was forced to give up a private law practice that was providing a good income. But despite the lower pay, he said, the job is satisfying.

"When I first took the job, one night I came home and started talking about something that happened that day," he said. "One of my kids said, 'Do you like your new job?' So I said, 'Sometimes Tony LaRussa comes home at the end of the day and rants and raves, but he loves his job and a lot of people would love to have it.'

"It is good to do something you enjoy, where you are making a living and feel like you are making a difference."

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126