CRIMINAL CASES DROP OVERALL IN PAST YEAR

Cape Girardeau County mirrored the nation in declining crime last year. That's the good news.

The number of criminal cases filed by the county prosecutor's office dipped slightly from 1997 to 1998. The 2,025 felony and misdemeanor cases handled by the prosecutor's office showed a decline of 31 cases.

Nationally, the crime rate has fallen to the lowest level since 1973. Violent crimes are noticeably lower across the nation.

What is the reason? Perhaps it's America get-tough-on-crime stance. Strengthened truth-in-sentencing laws and punishment without parole have made a life of crime less appealing to some. Or maybe it's the fact these lawbreakers are spending more time in jail and less time on the streets committing more crime.

Not all the local criminal cases followed the downward trend. While the total caseload was down in the county, many categories remained the same as last year or saw an increase. The bulk of the caseload in the county prosecutor's office continues to be assault, stealing, drug and DWI cases.

But the numbers may be misleading. The fact DWI arrests are up may be more a result of tougher enforcement than more drunks on the streets. The Cape Girardeau Police Department has stepped up its weekend DWI patrols, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol is now fully staffed in the county.

The county also recorded three homicides -- an average number. Although even one would be too many, it still is a far cry from the St. Louis area, where shootings and stabbings are commonplace.

Bad checks remain another problem in the county, but that may be directly linked to the fact so many checks are written here. Most establishments take checks, including some fast food places.

Of those, just over 6,000 bad checks were turned over to the prosecutor's office. Through a highly successful collection program, all but 156 were collected. Those prosecuted represent a small number of the actual checks written.

Unfortunately, the county saw a rather dramatic increase in the number of ex parte violations. The 39 cases in 1998 were more than double that of 1997. This underscores the fact that domestic calls are still among the most volatile that law enforcement encounters.

Traffic cases also increased rather markedly, from 3,699 in 1997 to 5,500 last year. Tougher enforcement and increasing driver inattention are likely reasons for the rise.

Citizens can also help do their part as the extended eyes and ears of local law enforcement through Crime Stoppers.

Tougher enforcement, stepped-up prevention programs and citizen participation are likely to send local crime even lower.