Ferguson on the minds of sheriff, Cape police chief

Cape Girardeau County sheriff John Jordan and Cape Girardeau police chief Wes Blair were the featured speakers at Friday's meeting of the Republican Women's Club.

Jordan began by talking about the recent shootings of two officers in Ferguson, Missouri.

"Leadership is needed so badly in this country." He said it is "incumbent upon us as law enforcement to seek out the good" in the community.

His advice to younger officers: "Invest your time in what you have control over," which are the things happening in their personal lives. "The job is continuously consuming."

He drew several similarities between the work done by law enforcement and the military, pointing out the suicide rate among law enforcement officers is greater than the rate at which they are killed in the line of duty.

Jordan also spoke on the need to consolidate county courts. He called the Common Pleas and Jackson courthouses "antiquated."

"We need to bring that under one roof," Jordan said. He said consolidating the courts would eliminate the need for strip searches when the inmates re-enter the jail in Jackson.

Jordan said there are several possibilities for funding the project, such as a use tax or bond issue. But in any case, he said, the cost has to be justified to the public, or the vote would be "no."

Circuit Clerk Patti Wibbenmeyer, who attended the meeting, told the group of one instance at the Common Pleas Courthouse in which a handwritten document had been ruined after water from melting snow leaked into the building. Luckily, she said, the document had been scanned with some other papers by mistake. But if it hadn't, "I don't know what we would have done."

She also said phone lines routinely go down during heavy rain.

"Sometimes we're down a week at a time when it rains," she said, leaving the public only with the option of calling Jackson to be transferred to Cape Girardeau.

Blair began his speech with comments on the decline of violent crime in Cape Girardeau last year.

He said he realized back-to-back homicides in the city over the summer made it seem crime was on the rise.

"It was a very frustrating time for us," Blair said.

However, totals for the year showed Cape had only its average four or five homicides.

Blair said he believes the decrease in crime is thanks to the formation of the Street Crimes Task Force.

The team, made of members from law enforcement officers from Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Sikeston and Charleston, Missouri, randomly floods areas serving warrants and trying to get guns off the street.

Blair said he's convinced the "murder rate would've skyrocketed" over the summer if not for the task force. "We took over 70 guns off the street because of those operations," he said.

Through community partnerships, such as Coffee with Cops, doing things such playing basketball with children, attending a monthly prayer breakfast and meeting quarterly with area pastors, "we're engaging with people who can make a difference in the community," Blair said.

Officers in Cape Girardeau also have been invited to speak to various congregations about community engagement.

"That's why we haven't had a Ferguson here," he said.

Blair, who said he has read court documents on the Ferguson decision, said he "was embarrassed for the way law enforcement handled" the situation after the shooting of Mike Brown.

On internal Cape Girardeau Police Department matters, Blair gave an update on the need for a new headquarters.

"We've outgrown the building, without a doubt," Blair said, adding city leaders have identified funding and are trying to secure a building site.

Other business

• State Sen. Wayne Wallingford and state Rep. Kathy Swan spoke about pending legislation they are working on in the state Capitol. Wallingford mentioned the state Senate had passed SB 239, which sets caps on money awarded for damages for things such as pain and suffering against health care providers.
• Wibbenmeyer installed new club officers. Kristi King is the club's new president, Tina Telle is treasurer, Lori Trump is in charge of membership and Jane Perry is the new public relations chairwoman.
• The club's next meeting will be at noon April 9. The club will not hold meetings in June, July and August because it's an off-year for elections.

kwebster@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

236 S Broadview St, Cape Girardeau, Mo.