Evolution of a department: Cape police mark 150th at River Campus event

During the 1930s the Cape Girardeau Police Department purchased a riot car equipped with guns. During the 1950s, the 25-man force had three cars and two motorcycles.

Historian Dr. Frank Nickell recited the evolution of the department from its creation in 1859 to the current 75-member force.

The first automobile arrived in Cape Girardeau in 1909, Nickell said. The first automobile accident also occurred in 1909, he said.

"Imagine what police work would be like without traffic control," he said.

Nickell talked about a burglar who broke into a house on New Madrid Street and was quickly caught thanks to the new technology of the time, a telephone and a car.

The honor guard pays tribute to the five fallen officers of the Cape Girardeau Police Department during its 150th anniversary celebration Thursday at the Bedell Performance Hall. (Fred Lynch)

The department celebrated its 150th anniversary Thursday at the Bedell Performance Hall with a three-hour program featuring Nickell, former police chiefs, the department's honor guard and Paul Echols, the Carbondale, Ill., detective who helped solve the homicides committed by Timothy Krajcir.

The steady march of the honor guard was heard from the backstage area as the five officers approached. The guard, created this year, honors the city's five fallen officers, Albert Demortiers, Willis Martin, Nathaniel Hutson, Herbert Goss and Donald Crittendon.

After presenting flags and marching to the front of the stage, each officer stepped forward to recite information about how each officer died and who they left behind.

The evolution and challenges of the profession were a constant theme throughout the program. Mayor Jay Knudtson sat down with the six living police chiefs, Hank Gerecke, Ray Johnson, Howard Boyd, Rick Hetzel, Steven Strong and current chief Carl Kinnison.

The homicides committed by Krajcir were a common thread for the five men who collectively served from 1974 to the present.

"The city was on edge and rightfully so," said Gerecke, who was in charge of the force during the majority of the five homicides.

Gerecke said he brought in detectives from St. Louis and that he personally felt inadequate in regard to the situation.

"This was something I never dealt with before, and so I asked for help," he said.

Johnson, who took over in 1982, said the next homicide occurred days after he took over the position.

"It was a very tough situation to walk into," he said.

Each chief also talked about the challenges of his tenure. Hetzel said he tried to re-establish a connection with a community. During the late 1990s, he said he worked with the school system to place resource officers and alleviate the growing violence in schools.

Knudtson and Strong also recalled the challenge of enacting a public safety tax to better equip the department. Knudtson also recalled the day when Kinnison informed him of Krajcir's arrest.

Echols, a retired member of the Carbondale Police Department, talked about his work with the Krajcir case during his presentation, "Crossing Paths with a Serial Killer." He outlined the murders and investigation that led to Krajcir's 2007 confession. As science became more advanced, the pieces of the puzzle came into place.

"There's technology that's developing that's going to help us reach back to those old cases," he said, recalling the evolution of DNA profiling.

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Pertinent address:

40 S. Sprigg St. Cape Girardeau, MO