COMMUNITY INVOLVMENT IS KEY TO FIGHTING CRIME

It has been, in the words of Cape Girardeau Police Chief Howard Boyd Jr., a "long, hot summer." He speaks not as a casual observer of the weather but one who sees the correlation between hot temperatures and hotter tempers. The mixture of sweltering conditions and idle time often gets people in trouble, and the police department has seen a disturbing run of violent actions of late. Like Chief Boyd, we see community support of law enforcement efforts as a step toward making the streets of Cape Girardeau safer.

In the grand scheme of things and in relation to American cities, Cape Girardeau is not a dangerous place to be. Please detect no hand wringing in this piece. Still, Cape Girardeau has been host to three fatal shootings, five forcible rapes, 18 or more robberies and 300-plus assaults in 1993. In a recent, heartbreaking incident, a 15-year-old girl was shot to death; compounding the tragedy, a 16-year-old has been arrested in the shooting. How can a community lose young people to senseless acts and not step back for reflection?

We would like to think of Cape Girardeau as a city where people consider themselves and their families safe. You don't find that in a quote from a concerned woman talking to a police officer recently: "I won't let my children go out after dark. ... Things are totally out of control." In one expression, this woman speaks volumes about a parent's love and a community's lament; in the matter of protecting her loved ones, a mother reaches out to police for some answers. It is a rightful request. And one police can fulfill to some extent. Significant steps have been taken to remove drugs from the streets. Adding patrol personnel and utilizing resources more efficiently have an impact. There are too many guns in the wrong hands, but the authorities function within the laws available to them in dealing with this.

But the police, in turn, reach back to the community. Law enforcement -- for whatever intellect can be applied and sophistication can be mustered -- functions best with the cooperation and backing of citizens. Chief Boyd appropriately points out that problems that encompass a broad range of the social spectrum find no cure-all in police agencies. Preventing crimes through public education and an active citizenry proves far more cost-effective (and better for the community) than solving them once committed. Regardless of the weather, the best way to address the crime problem locally is with the force of the city's population, not just one municipal department.