S.A.L.T. Connects Older Adults to Community Resources: A brief history of the organization

S.A.L.T. began as a dream in the mind of the late Roger Fields of the Cape Girardeau Police Department in 1996. He worked to establish an advisory council of senior citizens and law enforcement personnel for Cape Girardeau County. Their priorities included implementing effective educational programs for older community members in order to improve their quality of life, and to constantly improve the relationship between senior citizens and law enforcement.

Rarely will you find the level of cooperation we have in Cape Girardeau County from all four of these law enforcement agencies, including the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office led by Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson, the Cape Girardeau Police Department led by Chief Wes Blair, the Jack- son Police Department led by Chief James Humphrey and the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop E led by Captain Jason Cluver.

All four of these agencies have a special relationship of cooperation, sharing information, support and genuine concern as they go about their business of keeping people safe. They are four totally different agencies with one common goal: the safety and well-being of all citizens. Fourteen law enforcement personnel from these four agencies and 18 senior citizens from Cape Girardeau County make up the membership of S.A.L.T.

__Law enforcement’s roots in Cape Girardeau County__

On March 19, 1805, John Hays was appointed the first Sheriff of Cape Girardeau County. Voters elected Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson on Aug. 13, 2018, as the first female sheriff in Cape Girardeau County history. Her position is the only peace officer elected by the people; all other peace officers are appointed.

Cape Girardeau has always had a law enforcement officer, since the people established the community in 1806. In the beginning, the mayor and City Council appointed a marshal and empowered the marshal to enforce all city ordinances. Today, Wes Blair serves the community as chief of police.

People founded Jackson in 1814 — it is the oldest town named Jackson in the United States. In the beginning, the Jackson Police Department’s force consisted of one town marshal, an elected position. As the City of Jackson grew in size, they added a night watchman. Today, James Humphrey serves the community as chief of police.

People founded the Missouri State Highway Patrol in April 1931. On March 5, 2019, Governor Michael Parson appointed Eric T. Olson to become the 24th superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Today, our state is divided into nine troops. S.A.L.T. works with Troop E, located on US-67 just north of the Poplar Bluff, Mo., city limits. Troop E is assigned to 13 counties in Southeast Missouri, including Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Iron, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Scott, Stoddard and Wayne Counties. Captain Jason Cluver serves Troop E as the commander.

__S.A.L.T. leadership and events__

The office of S.A.L.T. president is rotated between the Cape Girardeau PD, the Jackson PD and the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office, with each serving a two-year term. In 2023, Cape Girardeau’s Chief of Police Wes Blair will complete his rotation as president of S.A.L.T.

Blair shared his favorite memory from the two years he has served as president of S.A.L.T.

“It has been encouraging to see the energy of the S.A.L.T. group, which has translated into more members and more opportunities for connecting with seniors in our area,” Blair said. “If I had to put my finger on the one thing that I am most proud of, it is the success of Senior Information Day. Being able to provide an event that connects our aging population with services that they may not have known about and provide them with information that helps keep them safe has been a highlight of my tenure as S.A.L.T. president.”

In 2024 and 2025, Jackson’s Assistant Chief of Police Alex Broch will lead the organization.

“S.A.L.T. is an amazing organization that I am proud to help guide for the next two years,” Broch said. “We have done great things for our seniors in this county. We are going to continue making great memories for them and the law enforcement offi- cers that attend. I cannot wait to get started and keep providing the best S.A.L.T. programs for Cape Girardeau County.”

The country’s senior population is expected to continue to grow significantly in the future; predictions state that by 2040, there will be approximately 80.8 million older persons in the U.S., more than twice as many as in 2000.

To serve this need, the year 2024 will see three distinctive programs presented to our Cape Girardeau County population of 13,425 seniors, with two specific goals in mind: effective educational programs for older community members to improve their quality of life, and constantly improving the relationship between senior citizens and law enforcement.

__Join S.A.L.T. for the group's upcoming events in 2024, including:__

__May 9:__ Memorial Ceremony for our 52 Fallen Officers

__Sept. 5:__ Cape Girardeau County Senior Information Day

__Dec. 5:__ Senior Christmas Celebration