Major case squad board elects Cape police chief as chairman

This month, Cape Girardeau police chief Carl Kinnison was elected to serve as chairman of the Cape Girardeau County-Bollinger County Major Case Squad board of directors.

The board used to hold meetings about once a month when the case squad was formed in 1983 because communication between the various investigative agencies was poor, said Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle.

Now, the channels of communication are much more open between the different agencies making up the case squad, so the board doesn't meet as often, Swingle said.

Kinnison is the first chairman since former Cape Girardeau police chief Steve Strong retired in 2005.

The case squad was formed to assist local law enforcement with investigating serious crimes, giving them additional resources during the cruicial early hours of a homicide or other criminal investigation.

Since 1983, the case squad, made up of officers and detectives from eight law enforcement agencies, has solved 35 of 37 cases.

Kinnison has been a member of the board since the inception of the case squad, he said, and looks forward to the opportunity to continue its success.

"Part of it is that you have some outstanding resources that are put together very quickly," he said.

As director, Kinnison will oversee training opportunities and policies, as well as help orchestrate the purchase of equipment for the squad, he said.

Kinnison joined the Cape Girardeau Police Department in 1979 as a patrol officer.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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