Police chief, city applaud new Cape police station

When Wes Blair was hired as Cape Girardeau police chief nearly five years ago, he was impressed with the department�s staff. But the aging, cramped police station didn�t make the same impression.

Blair called it �probably the worst building I ever had to work in.�

On Friday, the police chief lauded the new police station at 2530 Maria Louise Lane, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by city officials and civic leaders.

Blair said his officers said �wow� when they first walked into the $11.4 million structure that will house the police department, municipal court and the city jail.

�It is such an amazing facility,� he said.

Police chief Wes Blair cuts the ribbon for the new Cape Girardeau police station Friday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

�Buildings do affect morale,� Blair told the crowd as inside the building, officers continued with the task of moving in.

�This building is going to allow us to serve our citizens even better than we have in the past,� he said.

Blair said the city will hold some public open houses at a later date.

The department plans to be fully operational in the new facility by Monday, according to city officials.

Cape Girardeau Municipal Court, which now is held at city hall, will relocate to the new building by Wednesday.

Victor and Mary Gunn tour the new Cape Girardeau police station with police chief Wes Blair after a ribbon cutting Friday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

After the ceremony, Blair toured the building with several members of the city council and city staff. He pointed out the large amount of storage space, something the old station � built in 1976 � lacked.

�I am hoping we have overkilled the storage space,� he said.

The new facility encompasses 35,500 square feet. In addition, the site includes a 3,000-square-foot storage outbuilding.

By comparison, the old station at 40 S. Sprigg St. and the adjacent modular unit encompassed 19,000 square feet, city officials said.

The new police station includes a room that will be made available to community groups for meetings. The soundproof room will double as a meeting space for the major case squad, Blair said.

Members of law enforcement raise their hands for a moment of recognition at the ribbon cutting of the new Cape Girardeau police station Friday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

�It�s basically a mini-emergency operations center,� he said.

City officials said the old police station could not accommodate an increasingly sophisticated and technical law-enforcement department.

Unlike the old police station with the jail on the second floor, the new facility is all on one level with a secure entrance for the 20-bed jail, city officials said.

With the jail and court housed in the same building, prisoners no longer have to be transported between buildings, officials said in a news release on the city�s website.

The new station has a spacious evidence room with row after row of shelving for storage.

Community members listen to the opening remarks of the ribbon cutting of the new Cape Girardaea police station Friday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

The modern, high-tech facility has secure entrances and exits, controlling access to and inside the building.

The new police station is next to Arena Park in a central part of the city, but officials said that will not affect how officers respond to calls. Officers patrol the city in zones and are dispatched to calls directly from their locations on the streets, not from the station, officials said.

�Most of our 56,000 annual calls for service are responded to by officers dispatched from blocks away, already working in the neighborhood,� Blair said in the news release.

At Friday�s ceremony, Mayor Harry Rediger said the new station would not have happened without public support.

�Our citizens have meant so much to us,� he said.

Cape Girardeau voters approved a fire sales tax and public safety trust fund in 2014. Casino revenue and restaurant tax money also helped fund the project.

Construction began in October 2016 under a design-build arrangement involving Kiefner Brothers construction company and Chiodini Architects.

City manager Scott Meyer applauded the building, but said ultimately �it is really about doing our job for the citizens of Cape Girardeau.�

Police chaplain John Harth was thrilled to see the new station.

�This is sweet,� he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

2530 Maria Louise Lane, Cape Girardeau, Mo.