Mayor Stacy Kinder and Police Chief Adam Glick say Cape Girardeau task force produced findings and point to drop in shootings

Mayor Stacy Kinder and Police Chief Adam Glick told the Cape Chronicle that a year-old, ad hoc gun-violence task force produced recommendations the city is using to shape prevention and enforcement efforts.

"I think it's already had great impact," Mayor Stacy Kinder said, summarizing the work of the task force, which met for six months and brought together community members, schools, law enforcement and other professional stakeholders.

Chief Adam Glick said the city has seen encouraging trends: "We've actually seen the number of shootings go down in Cape Girardeau," he said, but added that "one shooting is too many," emphasizing the need for continued action.

Kinder said the group examined both policing responses and community measures, and that juvenile-justice issues and state-level advocacy on gun laws were frequent topics of discussion. The mayor said the task force was an ad hoc committee that "ran its course" after the six-month commitment and that the city published a roughly 15-page report of its findings on the city's website.

Glick described the task force as a collaborative effort: "I didn't think we could arrest our way out of this problem," he said, adding that law enforcement and social services must work together to reduce violence.

Both officials said school representatives attended meetings and that community organizations and regular citizens contributed on-the-ground perspectives. Neither speaker detailed specific funding amounts or a set schedule for implementing the report's recommendations.

The interview ended with both officials urging continued community involvement and coordination among agencies; no formal vote or city council action was announced during the segment.