GREATER VISIBILITY

In an effort to establish greater presence and visibility in the community, the Cape Girardeau Police Department is poised to install two new police substations in the city by the end of the year.

The substations, slated for the south and west sides of the city, will also alleviate some of the current overcrowding problems police are presently experiencing at the main station on Sprigg, officials said.

Tentative plans are for one of the substations -- or community offices, as police officials are also referring to them -- to be located in the 600 block of Good Hope and the other to be in the West Park Mall. The Good Hope substation may be open in June. The West Park Mall location is not expected to be open until October.

Project coordinator Cpl. Charlie Herbst of the Cape Girardeau police department said the Good Hope community office is being established as a part of the Weed and Seed initiative in the south side of the city. Herbst said that the establishment of the substation on Good Hope was part of a continuing commitment by the city and the police to revitalize the neighborhood.

"We've come a long way since the days of an open air drug market of four years ago," he said.

Herbst and Officer Ike Hammonds have been actively involved in policing the south Cape Girardeau area since May 1994. Part of their beat includes Good Hope.

"A lot of people wonder why we need a substation here," Hammonds said.

"It's just two and a half blocks from the police station, but it's needed. A lot of crimes against the public go on around here," he said.

Much of the illegal activity that occurs on Good Hope is what police consider to be nuisance violations, such as littering, loitering and drinking in public.

Chuck Meyer, one of the owners of Meyer Supply located on Good Hope, welcomes the idea of the substation, believing that it will bring business back to the area.

"The public perception of the area is that it is a high crime neighborhood, but that's not the case. There's no real crime to speak of," Meyer said, adding that his own business has only been broken into twice in 14 years and not at all in the last six years.

Since opening the business in 1982, Meyer has seen many of his commercial neighbors close their doors or move to other locations, including Farmers and Merchants Bank, Al's Midtown, Mollie's and Unnerstall's Pharmacy.

"The problem is not just when bad people move in, but when good businesses move out," Officer Hammonds said. "Law enforcement needs to do its part (to keep businesses from moving out)."

By establishing a greater police presence on Good Hope, the police hope to decrease the amount of illegal activity. Eventually, they believe that the decrease in crime will attract more businesses to the area and revitalize the area.

"We haven't given up on this area. We can save this area," Hammonds said.

Plans call for the office to be located at 629 Good Hope in the building formerly occupied by Dr. George Ringland. A tentative lease agreement has been reached and the owner of the building has committed to supporting the program, Herbst said.

In addition to housing the substation, police anticipate the local Weed and Seed director will have an office in the building. Plans also include having a conference room in the building where community meetings can be held.

Herbst also said that the building will be designated a safe haven for the neighborhood. Presently, he is looking for someone to donate computers so that area youth will be able to come to the substation after school and gain access to the internet.

The building will not house any jail or booking facilities -- that will remain at the main police station on Sprigg -- but will be available for officers needing a place to fill out reports.

Unlike the funding for the Good Hope substation, which will come primarily through federal Weed and Seed grants, the west side substation will be funded almost entirely by private donations.

Jim Govro, general manager of West Park Mall, said last week that executives from the Los Angeles-based Westfield Corporation, which owns the mall, have given initial approval to donate space for the substation in an 18,000-square-foot tenant space that has been unoccupied since 1981.

The space will also house a community room which Govro hopes will be used for other programs including Red Cross blood drives, blood pressure screenings, Lions Club vision screenings, programs by DARE officers and Southeast Missouri Hospital's Kids-B-Fit program.

Govro said there are no problems at the mall that necessitate an increased police patrol. But, he added, the visual effect of police officers in the building and police cars parked outside can only add to the sense of security for people.

The amount of traffic in the mall also justifies the establishment of the substation there, Govro said. He estimated that over 5 million people visited the mall in 1997.

Chief Rick Hetzel said that the police department has been looking to establish another substation on the west side of town, which he calls the city's busiest and fastest growing sector. The presence of a substation on the west side of the city would allow the police to respond more quickly to calls.

But in addition to saving time, it will give officers a greater visibility in the community, he said.

"It makes all the sense in the world," Hetzel said.

Govro confirmed Friday that contractors are still looking at the area in the mall which would be converted into the substation and submitting bids to the company for the renovations of the area. The work could begin in six to eight weeks. Govro is hoping that the substation will be completed and operating by October, just in time for the Christmas buying season.

City manager Michael Miller said Thursday that funding for the two substations would not be a major added expense and could be paid for by existing funds in the budget.

MAIN STATION

40 South Sprigg

Current usage:

*Office space for all police, Victims' Advocate program and Safe Communities program

*Records

*Jail

*Communications

FUTURE SUBSTATION

629 Good Hope

Proposed usage:

*Office space for police and local Weed and Seed director

*Community room for after school activities and computer room

*Safe haven

FUTURE SUBSTATION

Inside the West Park Mall near Famous Barr

Proposed usage:

*Office space for police

*Community room for blood drives, blood pressure testing, vision screenings and DARE program

*Southeast Missouri Hospital's Kids-B-Fit program