LOCAL POLICE GROUP SEEKS MONEY; CHIEF SAYS OFFICERS DON'T REPRESENT DEPARTMENT

A group of Cape Girardeau police officers is looking for ways to raise money, but Police Chief Rick Hetzel said their efforts don't represent the department.

The Cape Girardeau Police Officers Association, made up of 45 active officers, started its first-ever telemarketing campaign this week, said patrolman Curtis Sessions, association president. The goal of the six-to-eight-week fund raiser is to get donations to assist with the purchase of new equipment and to support the association's charitable activities, Sessions said.

But the telemarketing campaign is out of step with department policy, Hetzel said.

"I've been getting calls from people saying, "We're donating to your department,'" Hetzel said. "I'm letting them know that the association does not officially represent the city or the police."

The association, formed in February 1999, is simply trying to meet needs, Sessions said.

Since its formation it has donated money quarterly to the DARE program, provided child fingerprint identification kits for parents and organized a car wash for victims of an Oklahoma tornado in May 1999. The car wash raised $529, Sessions said.

The association also took 110 hams and turkeys to the Salvation Army last Christmas, he said.

"This telemarketing is just allowing us to have a great time talking about what we're doing to help the community," Sessions said.

Of the $15,000 to $20,000 in donations the association seeks to raise, a portion would pay for new police equipment. Bullet-proof vests are greatly needed, association treasurer Bill Bohnert said.

Some vests used by police are 10 to 20 years old, Bohnert said. Many police agencies routinely retire vests after five years regardless of their condition, he said. This is because most manufactures' warranties expire after five years.

The department does not have a problem with using money for new vests, Hetzel said, since federal grants are available that provide 50 percent matching funds. But a team of officers handles equipment requests, and when vests were last requested the team did not see a need, Hetzel said.

Hetzel said he opposes police agency telemarketing in general. Even though he serves as an executive member of the Missouri Police Chiefs Association, he has made it clear to his association that their phone solicitation is not welcome in Cape Girardeau.

"Our community doesn't want to be bothered by telemarketers," Hetzel said.

Regardless of the warning, Bohnert said the Police Chiefs Association still solicits in the Cape Girardeau area and receives money.

"None of this money comes back to us for equipment or training," he said.

Sessions has made clear that the association is not a union but a non-profit group. Some misunderstandings have come from this, he said.

The association also serves to offer moral support to police that they didn't previously have, Sessions said.

Through the association, officers have been able to support each other when family members have died or send flowers when someone was in the hospital.

"Otherwise, as a policeman, you're pretty much alone," Sessions said.

Only police with the rank of sergeant or below can be part of the association. The 45 members come out of a possible 63 officers who could be members.

Officers who are not members say no tension exists in day-to-day work between those involved in the association and others.