New Cape Girardeau police chief selected

The city of Cape Girardeau on Tuesday announced a permanent new leader for the police department.

Wes Blair, a 16-year law enforcement veteran who is interim chief of the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, was hired by the city after a two-part search that lasted 10 months.

Blair will replace Carl Kinnison, who left the post in August and became director of the Law Enforcement Academy at Southeast Missouri State University. Kinnison started working part-time with the department in 1978 and worked under five chiefs before assuming the post in 2005. Assistant chief Roger Fields acted as interim chief while a committee led by city manager Scott Meyer worked to choose a new police department leader.

Blair also has been a federal air marshal and a border patrol agent. Meyer said he expects Blair to begin his new job in about a month, but it could take longer, as Blair needs to give notice to his current employer and move with his wife and son to Cape Girardeau.

"Wes will be an asset to our city, and we believe will provide excellent leadership to the police department, and move them forward to the next level," Meyer said Tuesday.

Blair was hired, in part, according to Meyer, for the abilities he demonstrated while acting as assistant and interim chief for the Texas department.

Meyer said Blair has created innovative approaches to tackling "difficult issues" at his Texas department.

Among the issues Blair dealt with were the building of a public safety center in Lancaster and related budget problems, Meyer said. Cape Girardeau's police department has long lobbied for a new or upgraded police station to relieve crowding and other issues with the current facility. Partnerships Blair helped form while as interim chief, such as one that ensured a crime lab could become operational, were key in the hiring decision, Meyer said.

"He showed us he made various approaches to providing service more effectively and efficiently," Meyer said, which was important because the chief role includes being the officer in charge and acting as an administrator.

Finding a new police chief took longer than city officials anticipated because the first search wasn't successful, Meyer said.

One candidate dropped out when the field narrowed to three, and the other contenders weren't seen as the strongest candidate when the city's search committee conducted interviews or weren't the right fit.

"It was an extensive process," Meyer said. "We ended up taking our time finding who we believe is the right person."

About 50 candidates were included in the searches. A member of the police department and the assistant city manager in charge of administration were on the selection committee with Meyer.

Meyer on Tuesday commended Fields for his leadership of the city's police.

"Roger has done an incredible job," Meyer said. "He was Carl Kinnison's right-hand man, and we expect he will be just as supportive of the new chief."

Fields' initiatives while as the interim chief included launching Leads Online, an anti-theft system used by businesses and police; creating a "direct response team" of officers to focus on resolving cases more quickly; working with local gas stations to require patrons to pay before pumping to reduce gas drive-offs; and overseeing several major burglary, theft and death investigations.

eragan@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

40 S. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, MO

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO