CHIEF WARNS OF COMPLACENCY

Although more and more battles are being won on the streets and in the courtroom, law enforcement officials have warned that the war against crime in Southeast Missouri is far from over.

Cape Girardeau Police Chief Rick Hetzel warned that citizens should not become complacent just because of recent victories against crime.

"We are a society that wants quick fixes and convenience, but it takes time to combat crime," Hetzel said.

Pointing to statistics that show a decrease in serious crime in the city, he added that Cape Girardeau is just now beginning to see the impact from our efforts, and then warned against an attitude that says the problem is solved.

"Crime suppression needs to remain a top priority," Hetzel said. "We don't want to hang our hat on one good year."

Figures released by the department show an overall decrease of 14.6 percent in 1997 from 1996 figures in the most serious crimes -- what law enforcement calls Part One Crimes.

Part One Crimes are divided into two types, crimes against people (murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) and crimes against property (burglary, stealing, motor vehicle theft and arson).

In 1997, 2,658 Part One offenses were reported to the Cape Girardeau Police Department, a decrease of 455 from the year before.

Only one of the eight major categories -- forcible rape -- showed an increase, from nine to 10, or an 11 percent increase in reported incidents.

Overall, crimes against people dropped 29 percent and crimes against property dropped 14 percent.

Hetzel attributes the reduction not only to good law enforcement but to community support.

"The citizens of the community should be pleased because it is only through their spirit of cooperation that we are able to be effective at our crime reduction efforts," Hetzel said.

Police Sgt. Carl Kinnison added that the aggressive prosecution within the city and the county and tough sentencing by the judges in the area have aided in the decrease of crime.

"It is a known fact that a small number of people commit the large percentage of the crime," Kinnison said.

"If a criminal is convicted and sentenced to time in prison, that will get one person off the street who may be responsible for a large percentage of the crime," he said.

The number of cases handled by the Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney's office has continued to climb even as the number of reported serious crimes has decreased in the city of Cape Girardeau.

In 1997, the prosecutor's office handled 2,056 felony, misdemeanor and infraction charges, up slightly from the 1996 figure of 2,050.

Figures released by the prosecutor's office show that with 347 cases -- or 16.9 percent of the cases filed by the office -- the most common offense being prosecuted was driving while intoxicated.

Also high on the list were drug-related offenses, such as possession, manufacturing or trafficking charges. Combined, the different drug-related offenses accounted for 23.6 percent of all charges filed by the prosecutor's office.

Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said, however, that the total of drug-related crimes was probably much higher. Police reports and the presentence investigations suggest that 80 percent of the cases prosecuted involve someone using drugs or wanting to obtain money to buy drugs, Swingle said.

Swingle thinks the increase in the numbers of cases handled by his office does not necessarily reflect an increase of crime in the county. Some of the increase may be attributed to more efficient police work.

"There are more crimes being solved because police officers are better trained," he said.

He pointed specifically to the Cape Girardeau Police Department where 51 percent of the officers have college degrees and four officers have advanced degrees.

Also aiding in the fight against crime in the region, Swingle said, is the presence of the U. S. attorney's office in Cape Girardeau.

"Before the office was established here, it had to be a huge case or a very serious crime to attract the attention of the U.S. attorney," Swingle said.

He considers the U.S. attorney's office to be a luxury for law enforcement and prosecutors in the area, freeing them to pursue the prosecution of other crimes.