SANITARIAN CONCERNED ABOUT AN IMPERSONATOR

A Cape Girardeau County Health Department sanitarian says she is concerned by reports that someone may be impersonating a health officer with local restaurants.

Jo Nell McNeely, one of four sanitarians employed by the health department and the group's supervisor, said someone went to several restaurants on Kingshighway last month posing as an inspector.

"He claimed he was a representative from a consumer advocate agency called the Missouri Consumer Health Board," said McNeely. "He mentioned that he normally worked with a team, but that the other guy was not with him at the time."

McNeely said the person was described as a young black man, nicely dressed, wearing a shirt and tie, about 5-11, 180 pounds. The man carried a notebook but showed no identification. He also appeared to be nervous.

McNeely said the man asked for a glass of water and appeared to inspect it, walked around the dining room, checked the restrooms, and then looked around the outside of the buildings.

The man gave a name, but no one remembers it or got a description of the car he was driving.

Cape Girardeau Police Capt. Steve Strong said officers were not contacted by any restaurant owners, but did investigate after being called by the health department. They turned up nothing.

McNeely said she did not learn of the impersonator until about two weeks after it occurred, but she said cases like this are reported from time to time.

"We have had other weird things happen before, but people need to understand that if somebody is doing something in an official capacity from our office, they will identify themselves," said McNeely. "We have had other situations where people said we had done something or been somewhere and it was not us."

McNeely stressed that anyone from her office inspecting restaurants or anything else will be wearing name badges and can show identification.

County sanitarians are responsible for inspecting all food preparation areas, day care centers, restaurants, and food areas at special events like Riverfest and the SEMO District Fair. The staff also looks into environmental problems and takes water samples, inspects septic tanks, and looks into a variety of complaints.

Strong said occasionally college students will do studies in the area, and that might be what happened in this case. Generally, he said the school checks with the police department to advise the department students are working on a project.

McNeely said, "We have had people call someone up saying they were a health department officer trying to get results in a certain situation. I guess it's kind of like impersonating an officer."

"But people need to realize we don't do things like that. We will send an official letter or be there in person with identification. If there is a problem, people will receive some kind of an official request from us to comply. We just don't call and threaten them over the phone. That's not our style."