Security an issue for Cape business owners

It's part of the price of doing business in downtown Cape Girardeau, some merchants say. Periodic vandalism. Windows broken, beer bottles smashed, fixtures destroyed.

But one downtown antique dealer says if merchants band together they can put a stop to it.

"I think we need a little more awareness. We have the DREAM Initiative and are encouraging downtown beautifications. That's really great, but if you can't even maintain what we're trying to do on an individual basis, what's the point?" asked Karen Stephens, owner of Annie-Ems Antiques and Gifts at 38 N. Main St.

Stephens decided something needed to change the night of April 12. That evening, someone smashed the front window of her store. At other times in the five years she's been in business, vandals have cracked both 100-pound concrete urns in front of the shop, ripped out flowers, torn down decorative flags and pulled off Christmas decorations from other buildings only to stick them in her mail slot.

Stephens and several other downtown merchants will discuss the problem with city officials today at a meeting requested by business owners.

"I think it's a problem that together we can remediate. If we take everybody who has a vested interest and work together, we can solve it," she said.

Stephens thinks the answer to the destruction may be either more police patrols or having downtown merchants and city hall pool money to pay for surveillance technology.

Small percentage

Since the beginning of 2007, the Cape Girardeau Police Department has recorded 10 instances of property damage in the downtown business district. They have made one arrest connected with these incidents, said public information officer Jason Selzer.

To put that figure in perspective, across the city in 2007 police have recorded 195 incidents of property damage and made 36 arrests.

The downtown area accounted for only 5 percent of the total. However, many instances of petty vandalism go unreported, police say.

Barry Robinson, owner of Cup 'N' Cork at 46 N. Main St., said he has given up trying to beautify the outside of his store until the city gets a handle on the vandals. "It's just not to our advantage to put anything out there because it's going to get destroyed," he said.

Robinson said a "Now Open" sign was ripped off just days after his cafe opened in May 2005, and he has had flowers torn out of pots and regularly cleans broken beer bottles from the patio and curb in front of his business. Several months ago a vandal came into his store and stole his tip jar during business hours. "It's stupid, idiotic stuff," he said.

Mike Yaeger, owner of Renaissance at 139 N. Main St., says vandalism is something every owner has to deal with, but he cautions against painting downtown in a negative light. "Don't get me wrong. I don't enjoy waking up at 2 a.m. and boarding up a window, but I'm very positive about downtown. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he said.

Police chief Carl Kinnison said the figures show that incidents of vandalism, though disturbing, are actually fairly low in the downtown area. Vandalism, he said, is mostly a result of people leaving downtown bars drunk.

Surveillance

"In all honesty, these people are drinking in bars and walking back home, which is good. We want them to do that because it means they're not driving. And they get mischievous because they've been drinking alcohol and their inhibitions are not there," Kinnison said.

Kinnison said the idea of surveillance equipment was discussed several years ago but encountered resistance. "There are still people who are concerned about cameras. There's the expense, and then you have the Big Brother thing ... but I like the idea. I think it's a good idea," he said.

Marla Mills, executive director of Old Town Cape, will attend today's meeting. She says high-population areas often mean more problems.

"We're concerned. Anything that concerns our property owners and merchants is a concern of ours. Vandalism and trash are expensive to deal with, and our merchants are so condensed in the area, what affects one affects them all," she said.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245