The following is part of a monthly article series from Mayor Stacy Kinder published in the Southeast Missourian newspaper.
Many of us in the Cape area were heartbroken by the death of a young woman this week. The news came on the heels of several violent crimes that had the community sending prayers and grieving for the families left behind. These crimes also have the community aptly concerned about public safety here.
Crime and violence should not happen in Cape Girardeau, or anywhere, but it does. What we see here in Cape does occur in other communities across the country, and we are intent on both developing new strategies and bringing what works elsewhere here. Your local government and law enforcement are working hard daily to prevent and reduce crime, to apprehend dangerous criminals, and to provide a safe and welcoming place for everyone. No amount of crime is acceptable, which is why all this work is done on an ongoing basis.
In the last few years alone, we have invested millions into public safety into higher pay plans and pensions, equipment and training, advanced technology, and new programs—all with the goal of addressing the public safety challenges of today and tomorrow. Public safety spending is almost 60% of our General Fund expenses, and second only to infrastructure in our entire budget. You can read more about specifics in what the City is doing in the Public Safety portion of my 2023 State of the City address.
Additionally, the proposed Property Tax increase that our community will consider on April 2 would send all increased revenue directly to enhanced compensation for our police officers and firefighters. This will have a direct impact on the recruitment and retention of well-trained public safety officials. You can read more of the specifics of the tax initiative from my December letter in the Southeast Missourian.
Crime prevention includes a complex mix of law enforcement, social services, schools,families, mental health, personal choices, law and policy, culture, and more. There is a tremendous amount of this work that goes on every day, all over our city, through nonprofit organizations, healthcare groups, our city recreation division, area schools, ministries, and state
departments. These groups provide youth programs, anti-drug campaigns, poverty remediation, addiction rehabilitation, housing assistance, and much more. There has also been an important, recent emphasis on collaboration in creating and promoting quality job training, workforce development, and career opportunity. It is essential to continuously take stock of all community programs, and consider how the City, as well as individual residents, can best support or partner with these different initiatives.
Additionally, there is an invigorated interest in how state law might better approach some of these issues. I was encouraged to read a recent column posted in the SEMissourian from State Representative Jamie Burger of the 148th District, in which he describes some of that work. How the state might address issues dealing with juvenile offenders, persistent offenders, prison terms, and mental health support will have profound impacts on problems we see here.
We are thankful for the public safety team we have here in our city and region, and for their innovative use of technology and initiatives. Our City Police Department and their partners rush to help others in danger, and often have subjects in custody very quickly. This takes extreme bravery, excellent training, and a lot of hard and dangerous work happening before, during, and after the incidents we see in the news or online.
To help our public safety officers prevent and respond to crime, we always need members of the community to come forward when they can, reporting information anonymously if they need to. If city law and policy changes are needed, the entire city council and staff are accessible, and we meet with citizens regularly to discuss city priorities. You can reach out to any of us at www.cityofcape.org/council. Real, lasting impact in these complex issues needs open dialogue and working together in a data-driven effort. The issues raised in what we’ve seen over the past week demand serious consideration for our community.