Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Access topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges single-call system and clearer lobby instructions at Cape Girardeau police station
Summary
A resident told the council she encountered difficulties summoning help at the police station and recommended the city adopt a single-call system and simplify lobby instructions for after-hours assistance; staff acknowledged the comment and councilmembers said the city has adjusted its public-comment procedures.
A lifelong Cape Girardeau resident told the City Council she encountered difficulty when trying to bring a child in apparent need to the police station and urged the city to adopt a simpler "one-call" system and clearer lobby instructions for after-hours assistance.
Jan Rigdon said she picked up a child on Sept. 14 who said his mother had called the police and that he feared he would "end up in prison someday." Rigdon said she drove the child to the police station but found the process of summoning help cumbersome and that posted instructions were not easy for people who cannot read or for international students. "I feel that we need something like that," she said, describing a one-call system used in other nearby jurisdictions that routes a single phone call to dispatch.
Rigdon also recommended better public notice about where to go when someone needs emergency assistance and thanked the council for a procedural change that allows unscheduled speakers to be heard on safety concerns. Council members thanked Rigdon for bringing the item forward; the exchange was part of the meeting's public-comment period and did not result in a formal directive recorded in the transcript.
