Stopping Intrepid thefts

You may never hear about the bulk of the investigative work that goes on at KCPD, but we like to specially recognize those who put forth an extra effort to keep the community safe from both violent and property crimes. Working together, Shoal Creek Patrol Division Crime Analyst Andrew Stanley and Detective Thomas Mahoney were able to crack a widespread Northland crime ring dedicated to stealing a very specific type of car. For their work, they received the Department’s Certificate of Commendation in an award ceremony May 26. Here is their story:

From July to September 2008, Shoal Creek Patrol Division Crime Analyst Andrew Stanley noticed the same kind of car kept turning up stolen: Dodge Intrepids.

The theft pattern was assigned to Detective Thomas Mahoney to investigate. Analyst Stanley determined that the thefts were concentrated at North Kansas City Hospital, Harrah’s Casino and the Isle of Capri Casino. Detective Mahoney got surveillance video from all these places but could not identify the suspects. Analyst Stanley further studied the times, dates and locations of the thefts and realized that the crimes overlapped with bus route times.

On July 14, 2008, Detective Mahoney figured out a pawn shop in Kansas City, Kan., accepted property taken from one of the stolen Intrepids. Over the next three months, Detective Mahoney and Analyst Stanley pieced together information that pointed to two suspects. On September 23, 2008, Detective Mahoney found the two suspects – a man and a woman - at a motel in the East Patrol Division. They had with them a stolen Intrepid they had just taken from Riverside.

Detective Mahoney got confessions from both suspects. They had been stealing Intrepids across the metro area. Detective Mahoney ultimately determined that they had stolen 40 to 50 Intrepids altogether and had taken them to a chop shop in Kansas City, Kansas.

Thanks to their three months of solid investigative work, the suspects have been charged, and both remain in the Clay County Jail awaiting trial.

Excellent work, gentlemen!

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20th and Walrond homicide

CORRECTION: The victim's name is Takiya Love, not Takiya Lane as previously posted. Her photo is above.

At about 3:18 p.m. yesterday, May 28, officers were called to Truman Medical Center in regard to a shooting victim. Shortly after officers arrived, the victim was pronounced dead.

The victim was positively identified as 23-year-old Takiya Love of Kansas City, Mo.

It appears Ms. Lane was shot in a residence in the 2000 block of Walrond. There is no suspect information at this time. Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline 474-TIPS (8477).

This is the 49th homicide of 2009, compared to 43 at this time last year and 39 in 2007.

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Man killed May 21 identified

Police have identified 51-year-old Anthony L. Mosley of Kansas City, Mo., as the man killed at about 5:12 a.m. May 21. At that time, police were called to a residence in the 3800 block of Olive in regard to the sound of gunshots. While enroute, officers located Mr. Mosley at 39th and Wabash suffering from a stab wound. He was transported to a local hospital and died a short time later.

It appears Mosley was inside a residence in the 3800 block of Olive when he was robbed/stabbed by an invited guest. The suspect(s) is not in custody.

Detectives are following up on leads and ask anyone with information to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

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Memorial Service

Yesterday was our annual memorial service - the time when we remember the 119 Kansas City Missouri Police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty to the service of the people of this city. Above are some photos from the event, and below are the remarks I delivered at the service:

I want to thank every one of you for coming today as we remember the sacrifices of the 119 men who gave their lives serving the people of this city. Additionally, we celebrate the eighth year that no name has been added to this monument. In its 135-year history, this is the longest the Kansas City Missouri Police Department has gone without losing an officer in the line of duty. We praise God for that and pray that another name will never more be inscribed here.

And yet, the men and women of this police department continue to serve, knowing that this might be their fate. Each time an officer gets in a patrol car or a detective goes to interview a suspect, they know that peril could be awaiting them. Most people don't have this worry when they show up to work every day, but police officers are a special breed. They have responded to a calling that would require them to daily put the safety of others before themselves. In return for this sacrifice, they receive little: occasionally a "thank you," but more often harsh words, bumps and bruises or worse. But to them it is worth it. To see the innocent protected, justice carried out, evil trampled and to be able to return to their families at shift's end - this is what they do it for.

Our department history is rife with acts of heroism and officers who gave everything to protect and serve others. Some you may have heard much about, like those killed in the Union Station and Paseo massacres. Others have slipped away into history. In memorial services like these around the country, we pledge to never forget the sacrifices these officers made in the line of duty. So I want to remind you of what some of these extraordinary men did. They were officers like so many on this department today - with families and friends and hobbies, but they, too, felt called to serve something bigger than themselves.

One of those is Officer Joseph P. Keenan. A flood had struck town on June 2, 1903. Officer Keenan attempted to take two people to safe ground in high waters, but his boat capsized, and he was swept away by the flood and drowned. The two men he tried to rescue, however, made it to shore and lived.

On August 24, 1916, 30-year-old Officer Glen Marshall responded to a call of a landlord being threatened by a delusional tenant. When Officer Marshall arrived, the tenant had broken through the landlord's door and was attacking him. The suspect ran when he saw Officer Marshall and his partner, Officer Phillip Neff, and the officers chased the suspect through the building. Officer Marshall was shot multiple times and died. Officer Neff was gravely injured and struggled with the suspect until they both lost consciousness. Officer Neff and the landlord - the man they had come to protect - lived.

You will see guarding the torch here today is Officer Randy Evans. He is the son of Officer Robert Evans, who was killed on October 14, 1971, when he was hit by a car during a traffic stop on 24 Highway. Despite the suffering and loss he and his family endured, Randy decided to serve his city just as his father did. He knows the risks all too well, but he has chosen to take them to protect others.

As in the case of Officer Robert Evans, even things that seem routine can put officers in mortal danger, and they know it. In 1992, Sergeant Jack Shepley and Officer Stephen Faulkner lost their lives when the helicopter crashed while tracking a foot chase. But does that mean officers today shirk away from the responsibility of flying the helicopter to track down criminals and find missing people? Of course not.

Officer Tom Meyers was killed January 14, 1998, while working a routine traffic accident on Interstate 29. He was standing by a Jeep that had crashed into a concrete median when a drunk driver struck and killed him. But knowing this danger, our officers continue to help motorists on highways and roads who have wrecked or need help on a daily basis.

Many of the 119 people on this memorial were killed doing things that our officers do dozens of times a day - responding to calls about disturbances, riding a motorcycle or transporting prisoners. Despite the inherent danger that lies in all of these, and with no promise of riches or fame, the officers of the Kansas City Police Department do their duty, day in and day out.

Whether it has been eight years or 108 years, let us vow today never to forget what the officers on this memorial did. Perhaps the best way we can honor their memory is to support and pray for the officers of the present - the officers who daily and knowingly do things that could lead to their names being etched here. Pray for their safety, and that no name will be added to this memorial ever again.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

May 19th homicide

PRESS RELEASE:

At 8:35 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, KCMO police were called to the 9300 block of Bales in regard to a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located a male shooting victim in the parking lot with no signs of life. Witnesses say a silver-colored SUV fled the scene after the shooting. The victim has been identified as 19-year-old Edgeric Beasley of Kansas City, Mo.

There are no suspects in custody, and detectives ask anyone with information to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

South Patrol community event Thursday

PRESS RELEASE:

Officers from the South Patrol Division will meet with residents Thursday to get to know them and talk about current crime trends and safety tips.

The event will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 21, at 96th Terrace and Belmont in the Fairlane subdivision. Officers want to get acquainted with area residents and business people, as well as pass out information and tell residents how to stay safe and take back their neighborhood. This area was selected because it has experienced an increase in residential burglaries over the past few weeks. If the event goes well, South Patrol officers will do more meet and greets in the future.

Man from last night's shooting dies

UPDATE: To clarify, Mr. Bynum has been declared brain dead, and the hospital is harvesting his organs for donation. He will not be taken off of life support until that procedure is complete, at which point his death will be counted as a homicide.

PRESS RELEASE:

The man who was shot at 11:23 p.m. May 19 at 10105 Freemont has died. He has been identified as 19-year-old Domineak L. Bynum of Kansas City, MO.

An officer was on patrol in the area of 99th and Blue Ridge when she heard several shots fired. Around that same time, police received several calls of shots being fired in the area of 101st and Freemont. Those callers also indicated a male was lying on the sidewalk. When officers arrived, they located the man, identified as Bynum, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Bynum was transported to an area hospital, where he died from his wounds.

There is no suspect information at this time. Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS hotline at 816.474.8477.

Mr. Bynum's killing is the city's 44th homicide this year, compared to 42 at this date in 2008 and 35 in 2007.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

Top dogs retire

PRESS RELEASE:

Two of KCPD’s most accomplished canines retired in a ceremony at 2 p.m. today.

The event honored 12-year-old Laica and 8-year-old Soty. Laica (pronounced Lie-ka) is retiring due to age, and Soty is retiring because of a back injury. (Laica is in the top picture, and Soty is below.) Both dogs are Czechoslovakian Shepherds who have spent their entire careers with the Kansas City Missouri Police Department. Both are trained to find people and explosives. Upon their retirement, they will go home to live with their former human partners and will spend the rest of their lives as pampered pets.

They deserve this treatment. Laica, along with his partner Officer Neven Mikic, has made 114 criminal apprehensions in his career, which started in November 1999. In February 2004, Laica found a burglar in a vast warehouse that was hiding behind two locked doors. On Halloween night in 2007, he located two people who had robbed and shot a person. And in 2008, he was able to track down a man who had purposefully hit a KCPD motorcycle officer and seriously injured him.

Soty has had a distinguished career, as well. He joined the department in September 2002 and was the partner of Officer David Magruder. He has made 82 criminal apprehensions in the past seven years. During one apprehension in November 2004, Soty was bitten by a man while he tried to protect Officer Magruder from being attacked. That man was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer because of the injuries he caused the dog. In November 2005, Soty tracked down a man who had shot at Mission police officers and fled from them into our city. And in June 2007, Soty found and helped take into custody a man who had shot at a KCPD officer more than 30 times. That take-down was broadcast on the television show “COPS.” Soty and Officer Magruder were then selected to serve as co-grand marshals of the 2009 Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Throughout the years, both dogs have located numerous items of evidence at crime scenes and have conducted explosive searches for presidents, vice presidents and other dignitaries.

Replacements for Laica and Soty have been purchased through a combination of donations and department funds. The new dogs, Arras and Taz, are in the process of being certified to be working canine officers.

Dispatches from Mexico: Taking a Break

Our officers in the department’s Spanish Immersion program in Mexico spend six days a week in class studying advanced college-level Spanish, cramming two courses – Spanish 301 and 302 – into five weeks. They don’t get very many breaks, but they use their infrequent time off to take in the local tourist attractions. Here, Sergeant Tamara Pronske describes their recent experience enjoying the high life that the city of Morelia has to offer:

"Hola hola! Only 6 days left! We had a busy weekend. On Saturday, Randy, Steve and I went to Tres Marias, an exclusive, private golf club. But this was no ordinary golf club ... this place looked like a high-end resort you would find in Cancun or Cozumel. The only thing missing was the beach. We arrived and ate lunch. We then took a swim in the pool, which included a swim-up bar. After a dip in the hot tub, we met with the manager of the resort. He then took us on a tour of the property. La Ciudad Tres Marias (it is in Morelia, but calls itself a city) occupies 25 percent of the land in Morelia. There are houses, condos, a high school, college, and many businesses within Ciudad Tres Marias. It is a gated community, which also includes a 27-hole golf course, an equestrian center, 14 tennis courts, a club house, and many more amenities. We decided to play nine holes of golf. How can you pass up the opportunity to play golf at a resort which just hosted an LPGA tournament three weeks ago?!

The three of us got our caddies and rented our clubs. None of us had ever had caddies before, so this was all a new experience. Steve was the first to go and on his first swing, he lost grip of his club and it went flying. I think it actually went farther than his ball did! We lost many golf balls in the water hazards, ditches, and gullies. Our caddies were great at finding our golf balls. In fact, most times they found more than they went looking for! We finished golfing with our dignities still intact (sorta) and then hung out at the beautiful resort. That night we went to a great steak house and had the best meal so far on the trip. I think we all went to bed that night with grins on our faces!

Sunday night we headed to Il Centro (downtown) to watch the celebrations as Morelia celebrated her 468th Birthday! There was a parade and fireworks in front of the cathedrals. It was beautiful and amazing to see such a spectacular show for the 468th Birthday. We can only imagine what the 500th Birthday celebration will be like!

We are now into our last week of instruction, and we are all ready to come home and get back to work."

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Homicide victim IDed

PRESS RELEASE:

At about 11 p.m. Monday, May 18, police were called to a residence in the 400 block of West 87th Place in regard to a disturbance. Upon arrival, officers located 31-year-old Dalon Harness of Kansas City, Mo., suffering from apparant stab wounds. He was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead a short time later. Witnesses said the victim was arguing with his ex-girlfriend and another male in regard to a child custody dispute when he was stabbed. Both were located at the scene and placed under arrest. Charges in the case are pending.

Dispatches from Mexico: Volcanoes and dispatch centers

Our officers in Morelia, Mexico, (which is located in the state of Michoacan), are about 1.5 weeks away from coming home. Their latest site-seeing experiences include a volcano, national park and Morelia’s C-4 Dispatch Center (of course they had to see police stuff while they were there!). Here’s Sergeant Tamara Pronske describing their recent adventures:

On Saturday, we took our last big excursion to the volcano Paricutin. This was about a 1.5 hour drive from Morelia. The volcano Paricutin first erupted in 1943, and for the next 10 years erupted lava and boulders across the surrounding terrain. We drove to a village near the volcano and rode horses to the area where a small village was buried under 40 feet of molten rock. The only building that withstood the wave of lava was the church, whose steeples can still be seen jutting some 70 feet above the lava rock (the photo’s above).

Once we arrived to the edge of the lava rock, we hiked to the church. The church is approximately 12,000 feet above sea level, so it was hard work trying to hike over the lava rock, which is very rough terrain, and trying to catch our breath. We climbed through the lava rock and ash to arrive at the church. For miles around there is only rock, and then there is a steeple and part of the church sticking out. In the background, several miles away, you can see the volcano itself. After exploring and hiking, we had our lunch next to the church while sitting on the lava rock. When we finished, we rode the horses back to the stables. Most of us had not been on a horse in quite some time, so it looked like a scene straight from the movie “City Slickers.” It was a good thing the horses knew the route, because we were laughing so hard, there is no way we could have ever found the stables on our own.

After we returned, we then drove to the Parque Barranca del Cupatitzio in Uruapan, one of the national parks in Michoacan. The park was full of waterfalls and lush tropical gardens. In the middle of the park are cliff divers, who will dive into shallow pools. The park was beautiful and very serene. After a long day of hiking and being a little saddle sore, a long siesta was in store for all of us!

On Monday, we toured the dispatch center for Morelia. When someone has an emergency, they dial 066 and are routed to the C-4 dispatch center. From there, the calls are fielded to the appropriate agency: Police, Red Cross, Fire Department, or an on-site psychologist, for those feeling suicidal. The C-4 also monitors over 30 cameras mounted in the city, much like our Emergency Operations Center. We were told that even with all the crazy drivers, there are only approximately seven accidents reported a day. Since Morelia has a population of about 1 million residents, the C-4 can receive 3,000 calls on a given day. Since the Swine Flu seems to be descending on Morelia now, we were informed that we had to wear surgical masks when we were in the C-4. (shown above) This is the first time we have had to wear the masks, and it was quite amusing to be sitting in a meeting, wearing the masks and trying to ask questions in Spanish without laughing.

Our time is beginning to wrap up now. We have only 8 days of class left and 11 more days in Mexico. Seems like it was just yesterday when we all arrived in Mexico City bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to master the language. We have thus far survived Swine Flu, an earthquake, stomach issues, and several trips to the hospital, but it has been a lot of fun. We have studied a lot and our skills of speaking Spanish have increased ten-fold. As much as we all love the country and the people we have met, we are also excited to get home to our friends and families.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Impact of budget cuts on number of officers

With our new budget, our police force will be reduced by 130 officers and 66 civilians by this time next year, based on historical attrition numbers. That’s the bottom line. And we have to have that many vacancies to stay within the budget. Our fiscal staff has prepared a report of actual and projected vacancies based on historical data. Those charts are above, and you can click on them to see a larger version.

Please note that these data make several assumptions. These include:

* The department getting no additional money for FY 2010 or 2011 in the form of grants or supplemental resources from the city. This would require us to lay off the 31 recruits currently in the police academy.

* That the general fund would remain at $175.6 million in 2011, as it is this year.
* That none of our costs go up (which is frankly a little unrealistic) for items such as health insurance, gasoline, etc.

If we do not have another police academy class in FY 2010, which our current budget will not allow us to, you can expect for none of these law enforcement vacancies to be filled until the beginning of 2012. It takes 11.5 months to hire and train a Kansas City Missouri Police officer before he or she is ready to hit the streets as a nonprobationary officer.

And if we lay off the 31 recruits currently in the police academy, we will be laying off our most diverse class ever. The members of this class mirror the community we serve more than any other in the history of this police department. But unless we can secure a federal grant that every other police department in the country also is trying to get, we can’t afford to keep them.

Don’t overlook the civilian vacancy chart, either. The fewer and fewer civilians we have, the more officers we will have to pull off the streets to do those jobs.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Homicide victim identified, suspect in custody

PRESS RELEASE:

An officer was on patrol around 7:58 p.m., Tuesday, May 12, in the area of 54th and Prospect when he heard gunshots. He drove to the area of 54th and Wabash and found an 18-year-old male lying in the street suffering from gun shot wounds. The man was transported to an area hospital , where he later died. The victim has been identified as Larry L. Mitchell Jr. of Kansas City, Mo. A suspect was arrested this morning and charges are pending.

TOP COPS meet President Obama

Officers David Loar and Christopher Skinner, who were named the nation's TOP COPS by the National Association of Police Organizations, met with President Barack Obama in a ceremony at the White House Rose Garden this afternoon. Below is the link to the White House press release about them and the officers from ten other cases around the country who won the award.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Background-On-2009-Napo-Top-Cop-Award-Recipients/

I'll put pictures of their meeting up as soon as we get the chance. Tonight, Officers Loar and Skinner go to the formal award ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Send comments to: kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Ordinance proves to be successful in prosecuting domestic violence offenders

PRESS RELEASE:

More than six months after its passage, an ordinance that Kansas City Police helped write to protect domestic violence victims has increased prosecutions of some offenders by 157 percent.

City ordinance No. 080765, “Violation of Order of Protection,” went into effect Oct. 15, 2008. Before this time, all violations of orders of protection were sent to state prosecutors. Many of these violations were in the form of communication only, in which an abuser would contact the victim by phone or e-mail.

“He could say over the phone, ‘I want to come by and bring you flowers and apologize,’” said Captain Mark Folsom, commander of KCPD’s Special Victims Unit. “And it would be hard for a jury to convict anyone for that. But what he’s really doing is grooming the victim, trying to work his way back into the relationship, where the cycle of abuse can start all over again.”

Before the ordinance, just 27 percent of violations of full orders of protection cases were prosecuted. Now with the new ordinance, those cases are sent to municipal instead of state prosecutors. Police analyzed cases prosecuted under the new ordinance from October 15, 2008, to April 15, 2009, and discovered prosecution rates of violations of full orders of protection cases were up to 69.4 percent. That’s a 157-percent increase over the old prosecution rates.

Of the 45 domestic violence cases that have come to their final disposition under the new ordinance, the perpetrators were found guilty 64 percent of the time, with the most common sentence being 180 days in jail plus two years of probation.

The new ordinance also allows violation of orders of protection cases to be handled by patrol officers instead of domestic violence detectives, holding violators accountable more quickly, protecting victims more swiftly and reducing the detectives’ backlog, which allows them to work on more serious assaults and repeat offender cases.

“The quicker response to these violations has improved victim safety,” Captain Folsom said.

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KCPD officers named TOP COPS in nation

Two Kansas City Missouri Police officers are being awarded as the top cops in the nation at a ceremony tomorrow night in Washington, D.C.

Officers Christopher Skinner and David Loar are being honored for going above and beyond the call of duty by helping a homeless man regain his identity, get consistent income and a home. Their full story is below. The National Association of Police Organizations has selected officers in 11 cases from around the nation to honor in their annual TOP COP Awards. This is the second year Kansas City Missouri Police have been chosen. An officer from Skokie, Ill., is the only other officer from the Midwest to be named a TOP COP.

The Master of Ceremony for the 2009 TOP COPS Awards® is John Walsh; host of Fox’s America’s Most Wanted. Celebrities from many of TV's most-watched crime dramas like CSI: Miami, Law and Order and 24 will be presenting the awards.

The TOP COPS Awards® pay tribute to law enforcement officers from across the country for outstanding service to their communities during the preceding year. The TOP COPS® were nominated by fellow officers and selected from hundreds of nominations by an independent Awards Committee. Officers from the top eleven cases have been chosen as the 2009 NAPO TOP COPS®. This year, there are 33 TOP COPS®.

NAPO, a national law enforcement group, represents over 241,000 sworn law enforcement officers from 1,000 police associations and units across the country. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, NAPO fights for the rights of law enforcement officers through federal legislation, legal advocacy, and education.

Here is the story of what Officers Loar and Skinner did to earn this recognition:

On the chilly New Year’s Eve of 2007, Officers Christopher Skinner and David Loar responded to an alarm call at the Sears at Antioch Mall. The business was closed, so the officers went around to check all the doors. When they did so, they spotted a man sleeping in a hallway off of the underground parking lot. The officers woke him up and asked how he came to be sleeping underneath Sears.

The man said his name was Harold, and he was a 70-year-old retired truck driver who had lived in the Northland. He said he came home one day and found that his wife had left him, taken everything in the house, and moved to Arkansas. Without her income, Harold lost the house. He became homeless and went to a homeless shelter, where someone stole his wallet that contained all of his identification documents. Harold tried many times to re-establish his identity, but every government office he went to required proof from another government office of his identification. Harold had been homeless for about seven years when Officers Skinner and Loar found him.

The officers did not want to see Harold go on living that way. A week after their first encounter, on January 8, 2008, Officer Loar went to the Clay County Health Department and was able to verify Harold’s information and obtain a birth certificate for him. Officer Loar researched online what was necessary for Harold to get a Social Security card, and he discovered a photo ID, birth certificate and current address were required. On March 13, Officers Skinner and Loar rented a hotel room for Harold with their own money. He got cleaned up, and the next morning, the officers and Harold went to the U.S. Post Office to obtain a P.O. Box that Harold could use as a permanent address to get his Social Security card. But the post office would not rent a P.O. Box without ID, so Officer Skinner rented the P.O. Box himself and put Harold’s name on the contract.

The trio then headed to the Social Security office. An employee there agreed to accept Harold’s police record as the identification needed to reissue him a card. Officer Loar then asked whether Harold was due any Social Security benefits. The staff checked and saw that he was eligible for benefits but had never applied for any. He said he had tried to apply but had been unable to since his identification had been stolen. The Social Security staff determined that Harold was owed a lump sum back paycheck of more than $9,800. In addition to that, he was to receive a monthly, tax-free check of nearly $1,700 for the rest of his life. The Social Security staff also enrolled Harold in Medicare. The officers then took Harold to get his state-issued photo ID.

Officers Skinner and Loar then found an affordable one-bedroom apartment for Harold and negotiated a discounted rent with the landlord. But the landlord first wanted to replace the carpet, flooring, appliances and fixtures for Harold. That meant the apartment wouldn’t be ready for a week. Harold was prepared to go back to sleep underneath Sears during this time, but when the officers dropped him off, they found that someone had taken all of Harold’s things, including his bedding, coats and clothes. So the officers, again with their own money, paid for Harold to stay in a hotel room for the next week and bought him food. They also gave him some of their coats and clothes and stopped by the hotel several times that week to check on him. During this time, Officer Loar obtained furniture for Harold.

Officer Skinner picked up Harold’s $9,800 Social Security check from the P.O. Box on March 22. He delivered it to Harold and took him to a bank to set up a checking and savings account.

The officers continued to check on Harold to ensure he was doing well in his first real home in seven years. On April 4, Harold left them a message asking them to come by his apartment. They came the next day, and Harold handed them $450. They asked what it was for. Harold said he had kept track of everything the officers had spent on him, and now that he was self-sufficient, he wanted to reimburse them.

Sergeant Bret Whitworth said the officers exemplified and redefined the critical values of the police department. He said, “They selflessly utilized their own time and resources and refused to be deterred when roadblocks presented themselves.”

DUI sweep clears 200+ warrants

PRESS RELEASE:

As of noon today, May 7, police have cleared more than 200 warrants by arrest in a four-day sweep of wanted DUI offenders across the metro.

The Kansas City Missouri Police Department has spearheaded the effort to proactively combat the 71 percent increase in traffic fatalities so far this year. So far this year, Kansas City has had 24 fatality accidents, compared to 14 at this date in 2008. Police are awaiting toxicology reports to determine how many of this year’s fatality accidents involve drugs or alcohol. In 2008, 49 percent of Kansas City’s fatality accidents involved drugs or alcohol.

Sergeant Daniel Graves, supervisor of KCPD’s Traffic Investigation Section, said the four-day sweep already has exceeded its goal, which was to clear 100 state warrants with arrests. Although the sweep officially ends at 5 p.m. today, some cops won’t stop then.

“Several area agencies have said they’re still following up on leads gained from the past few days on suspects with outstanding warrants, and they’ll work on this for several more days until those leads are exhausted,” Sergeant Graves said.

Reported results as of noon today are:

Warrants cleared
104 State warrants cleared by arrest
108 City warrants cleared by arrest

New arrests/violations during the course of the sweep
5 new drug arrests
1 arrest and recovery of a stolen car
11 hazardous ticket violations
10 other traffic violations
2 new driving while suspended arrests
1 minor in possession of alcohol arrest

Checks
419 residence checks were conducted
21 car checks were conducted
15 pedestrian checks were conducted

Additionally, police discovered that a large number of suspects with outstanding warrants were deceased. These suspects comprised:
53 outstanding State warrants, 27 of which were DUI warrants, and
39 outstanding City warrants, 10 of which were DUI warrants.

At least 50 of the subjects sought on outstanding DUI warrants are known to be out of the state, and another 20 are known to be incarcerated on other charges.

Charges in Grand Slam Liquors slaying - suspect sought

PRESS RELEASE

Two suspects have been charged with the murder of 21-year-old Pierre E. Parker, who was found shot to death May 3 in the parking lot of 215 East 6th Street. The suspects are:

32-year-old Timothy Clay of Kansas City, Mo. and
46-year-old Charles A. Delaney of Kansas City, Mo.

Their pictures are above. Clay (whose picture is on top) is not in custody, and anyone with information in regard to his whereabouts is urged to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Both are charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and shooting at a motor vehicle.

Results of May 1-3 DUI checkpoint, wolfpack

PRESS RELEASE:

The Kansas City Missouri Police Department recently focused extra enforcement efforts on impaired driving laws May 1-3. During the effort, the DUI Section and officers assigned to other elements conducted a Sobriety Checkpoint and a DUI Wolfpack. The checkpoint was conducted at 3719 Independence Ave. The Wolfpack was conducted in Northeast Kansas City. Officers made the following arrests:

11 DUI arrests
9 Felony arrests
4 Fugitives apprehended
1 Felony Eluding
5 Driving While Suspended/Revoked
3 Drug Arrests
1 Child Endangerment Charge
6 Uninsured Motorists
1 DUI State Warrant
4 City Warrants
1 Stolen Vehicle Recovered
17 Hazardous Moving traffic charges
13 other traffic charges

447 Vehicles stopped at the checkpoint
24 Car Checks conducted during the Wolfpack
1 Residence check conducted

Driving while intoxicated remains one of the top causes of fatal car crashes in Missouri. In 2007, 243 people in Missouri were killed in more than 7,780 alcohol related crashes. Enforcement efforts like this one help to take impaired drivers off the road and make travel in Missouri safer.

For more information on impaired driving visit http://www.savemolives.com/.

Dispatches from Mexico: Janitzio

Here's the lastest from Sergeant Tamara Pronske in Morelia, Mexico. She took the above photos, which depict Janitzio - an island in a lake on top of a mountain; the six officers now in Mexico learning Spanish; and the way the swine flu scare has impacted everything - even statues!:

Buenos Dias de Morelia!!! We had a great day on Saturday on another excursion. We loaded up and (professor) Lucia and (bus-driver) Pepe took us to the island of Janitzio, which is about 30 minutes away by bus. The island of Janitzio means “where it rains” and is at an elevation of about 7,000 feet, making it one of the highest lakes in the world. The island can only be reached by boats, which regularly ferry people back and forth from the Patzcuaro pier. On the island, there are approximately 700 residences, with about 2,000 residents, and only indigenous people can live on the island. The island is known for the famous butterfly fisherman, who are skilled at lowering their butterfly-shaped nets in the water to catch the local famous cuisine, “pescado blanco.” These fish look like tiny little sardines. On the top of the island is a monumental statue of Father Jose Maria Morelos, for whom the city of Morelia was named. The statue is approximately 135 feet tall, and you can climb all the way to the top. What I have failed to mention, is that you have to climb approximately another 150 steps just to get to the top of the island before you can even begin the climb to the top of the statue. Once you get to the top, you are actually in the fist of the statue, and the view is amazing. You can see the entire island and the surrounding mountains. Once we got to the top, it was a tight squeeze, but we all managed to make it.

Before I arrived in Morelia, I was under the impression that it was going to be all flat and desert-like. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Morelia is actually in the valley of a lot of mountains, and once you get a little ways out, the views are amazing. You really begin to notice how high up you are in elevation when you try to walk up a few hundred steps and you have to stop many times to catch your breath. At times, we are at the same elevation as Denver.

We had a great time, and after we left the island, we ate in the van. On days that we have excursions, our host families pack us a sack lunch. We have determined that ham and cheese must be the “official lunch” of the American, since everyone one of us had a ham and cheese sandwich. Although they were all the same, there were a few variations. One person had carrots added to their sandwich and another had avocados. Both said they tasted good.

Saturday night we went to one of the host family’s houses to watch the soccer game. This week, the government urged people to stay home and not go to public places, in an effort to allow the flu to run its course and go away. So far, there have been NO cases of Swine Flu in Morelia. The soccer game was still played in Morelia, but to an empty stadium, since they do not want people out in public places. So my first and only Mexican soccer was seen on TV and not in the stadium, as originally planned. Although the Morelia Monarchs won, it wasn’t the same :(. Sunday was the big day at Wal-Mart, and then to another host family's house for pizza. We tried to tell the taxi driver we wanted to go to Wal-Mart, but to no avail. He just did not understand where we wanted to go. We quickly found that they do not call Wal-Mart by its name. They call it "Tienda Mart" which translates to "Store Mart." Nothing is easy here!

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Victim of homicide at Grand Slam Liquors identified

PRESS RELEASE:

Police have identified the man killed at about 10 a.m. May 3, at 6th and Grand as Pierre E. Parker, 21 years old, of Kansas City, Mo.

Officers were dispatched to 6th and Grand (Grand Slam Liquors) at about 10 a.m. Sunday on a shooting. On arrival, officers found Parker suffering from at least one gunshot wound lying in the east parking lot. MAST Ambulance was called to the scene and pronounced the man dead from his injuries.

An unidentified vehicle occupied by two black males was reported to have left the scene at the time of the shooting. Detectives are asking anyone with information to contact the TIPS Hotline at 474-TIPS (8477). The investigation is continuing, and no one is in custody.

5 more red light cameras

Remember that today is the day five more Red Light Safety Cameras go into effect. They are located at the following intersections:

• W. 79th Street and Wornall Road
• E. 63rd Street and Prospect Avenue
• 39th and Main streets
• E. 19th and Walnut streets
• 27th Street and Southwest Trafficway

These are in addition to the first red light safety camera that has been operating for a couple months at 39th Street and Southwest Trafficway.

For more information on how these cameras work, go to http://www.kcmo.org/pubworks.nsf/web/rlc_main?opendocument

KCPD officers review each violation event captured by the red light cameras and make the final decision as to whether to issue a violation. Just because you see a camera flash does not automatically mean you'll be issued a violation.

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Dispatches from Mexico: Cooking class

Our six officers learning Spanish in Mexico continue to avoid the swine flu, and we’re really happy about that. We’re also happy that they’re learning so much about the culture. Below is the latest update from Sergeant Tamara Pronske in Morelia:

Well, yesterday class was good. We are really getting into our routines and getting used to life here. Last night, Lucia (our professor) took us to a cooking class. We went to a senora's house, and she showed us how to make a full Mexicano meal: agua de jamaica (juice from the flower jamaica), sopa crema de cilantro (cream of cilantro soup), tacos, and flan for dessert. They were all very easy to make and very good to eat!!! The agua de jamiaca is very popular here. It is a deep purple flower that you boil in water for about 5 minutes, then put through a strainer and add water and sugar. The crema de cilantro is a bunch of cilantro with Philly cream cheese, garlic, onion, condensed milk, cornstarch and butter. It’s mixed in a blender and then heated on the stove. The tacos here are different than what we are used to. Tacos here are more of a taquito or flauta, where there is a tortilla with chicken or meat rolled up and fried in oil. Not the "U" shape we know. The flan was great and made just like in the US. All the guys were having fun watching and helping the Senora cook. Today (Friday), we took two tests and then had a presentation in class. Tomorrow we are going on another excursion, and I will have more details afterwards.

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