KC CrimeStoppers award breakfast

The Kansas City CrimeStoppers are integral to justice in this community and have helped police across the metro arrest thousands of criminals. They're a great partner to law enforcement, but they do other amazing things, too. Yesterday, their annual recognition breakfast honored the many businesses, agencies, and indivuals who support CrimeStoppers throughout the year.

Pictured with CrimeStoppers Board Member and Master of Ceremonies Lara Moritz are winners of CrimeStoppers' annual scholarship contest: Brianna Forbes of Lee's Summit West High School and Alex Burnett of Shawnee Mission West High School. Each won a $1,000 scholarship to the college of their choice and were selected because of their outstanding essays.

Also recognized were several Kansas City Missouri Police Department units who regularly assist CrimeStoppers: Homicide Unit, Robbery Unit, Street Narcotics Unit, Gang Squad, Illegal Firearms Unit, Property Crimes Division represented by Metro and Central Patrol Property Crimes personnel, Fugitive Apprehension Unit, Career Criminal Unit, Investigations Unit, Special Victims Unit, Vice Unit and the Perpetrator Information Center.

Police release sketch of suspected serial rapist

PRESS RELEASE:

Kansas City Police have released a composite sketch of a suspected serial rapist, based on victims’ description of him.

Police believe the man depicted in the sketch sexually assaulted two women this past weekend – one at 9:50 p.m. Jan. 23 in the 8300 block of Mercier Street, and another at 12:30 a.m. Jan. 24 in the 10 block of East Porte Cimi Pas. Police think the same man could be responsible for two similar sexual assaults in the same area last fall. Those occurred Sept. 29, 2009, in the 7500 block of Summit and on Oct. 11, 2009, in the 100 block of East 78th Terrace. In all four cases, the suspect assaulted the women in their homes.

Victims have been working with a forensic sketch artist and detectives to produce this sketch. They have described the suspect as a black male who is about 6 feet tall and weighs 250 pounds. He is bald and has pitted cheeks, possibly from acne scars. The victims said he had a deep, smooth voice and that he had very bad breath and smelled of exhaust fumes.

Police urge anyone with information about the suspect to come forward by calling police or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Please note: A composite is not a portrait of one person, but a grouping of characteristics to put people into a category that narrows the search and eliminates other groups. It is intended to place the focus on a smaller grouping of individuals.

Teen killed in accidental shooting identified

At 9:45 p.m. yesterday, Jan. 26, police were called to a residence in the 7100 block of Indiana in regard to a shooting. Upon arrival, officer's located a shooting victim in the front yard of a residence. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim has been identied as 16-year-old Jamar Nevels. Two witnesses who were with the victim told several different versions of the events to police including that were being chased by a dog when an unknown person shot the victim.

Investigators have concluded that the suspect, victim and friend were running from a dog and/or dogs when the suspect attempted to shoot one of the dogs. The gun did not go off and the group continued to run. While running, the suspect's gun discharged, striking the Nevels.

The suspect, 18-year-old Jonathan Brown, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

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Highlights from yesterday's Board of Police Commissioners meeting

Highlights of the Jan. 26, 2010, Board of Police Commissioners Meeting:

• Rick Easley, president of the board of the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission, presented the Kansas City Crimestoppers 2009 year-end report. Crimestoppers paid out $58,282 in rewards last year. Some of that went to tipsters who helped solve 24 homicide cases, 51 robberies, 16 aggravated assaults and hundreds of other cases ranging from drugs to theft.

• Ken Henton, principal architect at Hoefer Wysocki, presented designs for the new South Patrol Division/Special Operations Division and multipurpose building to be constructed at Bannister Road and Marion Park Drive. The layout of the whole 25-acre site is designed to look like a police badge. The South Patrol and Special Operations divisions will be combined into one three-story building that will be separated with a large atrium in the middle and comprise about 54,000 square feet. The multipurpose building will feature a full-size gym, workout facilities and house the Bomb and Arson, Canine and Helicopter units and will be about 26,000 square feet. Mr. Henton estimated that construction on the two buildings would be complete by mid-2012. Both buildings will receive a Silver LEED rating for their environmental friendliness.

• Deputy Chief Cy Ritter said he was pleased to report that traffic deaths so far in 2010 are down substantially compared to 2009. There have been two traffic fatalities to date in 2010, and there were 11 at this time last year.

• D.C. Ritter also reported on the impact that last month’s bad weather had on response times and crime. He compared Dec. 20, 2009, through Jan. 10, 2010, to the same period in late 2008 and early 2009. The average temperature during those times this year was 19 degrees, compared to 31 the previous year. There was an average of 5 inches of snow on the ground during those dates this year compared to 0.3 inches the previous year. Because of this, police response times increased by 1 minute and 17 seconds. Calls for service were up by 29 percent – or 892 calls – over last year’s Dec. 20 – Jan. 10. However, crime fell by an average of 33.3 percent for those dates. And despite all the hardship, police officers used 30 percent less sick time this year than they did the year before, and injuries were down 58 percent.

• Major Rosilyn Allen reported that despite assertions in the news media regarding falling accident rates at intersections with red light cameras, police have not yet calculated the impact those cameras are having at the majority of the intersections. They do know that from August to December 2009, violations dropped by 64 percent as drivers got used to the new cameras. Major Allen said police have determined there were seven fewer accidents at the intersection of 39th Street and Southwest Trafficway from March to August 2009 compared to the same time period in 2008. She said police are working to further analyze possible accident reduction at other red light camera intersections.

• Deputy Chief Rachel Whipple reported that a new Police Academy class with 30 recruits began on Monday. Another class is set to graduate in April.

• The Board approved the renewal of the department’s health insurance plans with Blue Cross Blue Shield Kansas City at the cost of $18.24 million. By adding the department’s dental insurance to Blue Cross Blue Shield, the department was able to negotiate only a 2.5 percent increase in out-of-pocket health insurance for employees.

Officer goes above and beyond to assist elderly man

This morning, I presented a Life-Saving Certificate to Officer Joshua Meierer. Officer Meierer saved the life of 73-year-old Kenneth Everett when he collapsed in a Wal-Mart store last June, but he did much more than that. Above is a picture after this morning's ceremony with Officer Meierer, Mr. Everett and me. Below is their story:

One man is forever grateful that Officer Josh Meierer was working off-duty at the Blue Ridge Wal-Mart on one June morning.

At about 9:50 a.m. June 19, 2009, Officer Meierer was standing near the north entry doors of the store when he heard a lot of commotion. He went to the noise and saw that 73-year-old Kenneth Everett had collapsed on the floor. Officer Meierer checked for vital signs while asking Mr. Everett’s sister, Sandra Anderson, about his condition. When Officer Meierer discovered that Mr. Everett was not breathing and had no pulse, he called for an ambulance and began performing CPR. He did CPR for four minutes until the ambulance arrived. Mr. Everett was transported to the hospital, where he eventually made a full recovery.

But Officer Meierer didn’t stop with saving Mr. Everett’s life. Mr. Everett said the first thing he recalls about the incident is waking up in the hospital with Officer Meierer visiting him. Officer Meierer then helped Mr. Everett and his sister get a cell phone and cell phone plan and showed them how to use it in case they ever face another emergency. Additionally, Officer Meierer programmed his personal cell phone number as well as his wife’s number into the cell phone so Mr. Everett and Mrs. Anderson could reach him at any time. Mr. Everett told Sergeant Rod Gentry that Officer Meierer visits and calls him often, and that the two have formed a special bond. He even said that Officer Meierer has become his "best friend" since the incident.

Like so many others on this department, Officer Meierer is not just a cop - he's also a compassionate individual who cares deeply about the welfare of others. We're proud to have him and those like him.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

Police warn of possible serial rapist

PRESS RELEASE:

Kansas City Police are investigating two weekend rapes that could be the work of a serial rapist.

At 9:50 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, a man broke into a home in the 8300 block of Mercier Street and sexually assaulted the 53-year-old female resident when she returned home from work. Less than three hours later, at 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, a man forced his way into the home of a 50-year-old woman in the 10 block of East Porte Cimi Pas when she let her dogs out. He sexually assaulted her and stole her jewelry.

Police believe the same man is responsible for both rapes. They also think the rapist could be the same man who broke into homes and sexually assaulted two women in the Waldo area last fall. Those incidents took place Sept. 29, 2009, in the 7500 block of Summit and on Oct. 11, 2009, in the 100 block of East 78th Terrace.

In the incidents last fall, the victims could only say that they thought the suspect was black, that he had a deep, smooth voice, and one said he smelled like smoke. The man told one of the recent victims that he was 27 years old, but police believe he may be older. He is described as black, 6 feet tall and about 250 pounds. He is bald with pitted cheeks, possibly from acne scars. One victim said the suspect had very bad breath and that his clothes smelled like exhaust fumes.

Police urge anyone with information about the suspect to come forward and contact detectives or call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. Officers will increase patrols in the affected neighborhoods, and police urge residents to take precautions and keep their doors and windows locked at all times.

Board of Police Commissioners meeting tomorrow

The Board of Police Commissioners will meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow in the sixth-floor Board Room of Police Headquarters, 1125 Locust St. Here's a link to the agenda. Public comments will be taken some time between 10:30 and 11 a.m.

KCPD teams up with U.S. Census Bureau to ensure a "Complete Count"

The Kansas City Police Department is one of several organizations now participating in the Kansas City Complete Count Committee, a regional partnership program of the 2010 Census whose goal is to get as high a response rate for the United States Census as possible.

As you probably know, the Census is conducted every 10 years by Constitutional mandate (the first U.S. census took place in 1790). It is a count of everyone residing in the United States, not just citizens. It is vitally important that we get everyone in Kansas City counted. Why? Because every year, the federal government allocates more than $400 billion to states and communities based, in part, on census data. Some of that money comes to our police department and is used for things like drug task forces and solving cold cases with DNA.

Census data also are used to determine locations for retail stores, schools, hospitals, new housing and other community facilities. The data also determine boundaries for city, state and federal legislative and congressional districts.

The 2010 Census will be the shortest it's ever been. It's only 10 questions and will arrive by mail in March. You need to mail the survey back by April 1. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share an individual's responses with anyone, including us at the police department or any other law enforcement agency. There is no risk to filling out the form and sending it in. But there is a lot of benefit to your community.

For more information, go to http://www.2010census.gov/.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

How to spot counterfeit bills

There have been some recent news reports about counterfeit $20 bills showing up at a Wal-Mart in Lee's Summit. If you're worried about you or your business unknowingly accepting fake cash, I urge you to check out our Forgery Section's web page. It has lots of tips on how to pick out a counterfeit and pictures of genuine versus counterfeit U.S. currency. Authorities aren't sure how wide-spread this particular counterfeiting operation is in the metro area, but it's best to know how to identify a fake so you don't end up short on real cash.

Send comments to: kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Police seek missing mentally ill woman

UPDATE: Tanya Mills has returned home on her own.

Police are looking for 37-year-old Tanya N. Mills, who was last seen at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 5550 Noland Road. Tanya is a black female who is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 128 pounds. Police don't have a clothing description. Tanya is believed to be schizophrenic, and her family is concerned for her safety. If you know where she is, please tell her to contact a family member and notify the Missing Persons Section at 816-234-5136.

Man shot Sunday night @ 54th and Bellefontaine has died

At about 8:10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17, officers were called to 54th & Bellefontaine on shots fired. Upon arrival, officers observed a car on a curb in the intersection. Officers located two victims, a black male and female, inside the car suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Both were transported to local hospitals with life-threatening injuries.

The man has now died. He has been identified as 18-year-old Winston Hughes of Kansas City, Mo. Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Police looking for missing developmentally disabled 18-year-old

UPDATE, JAN. 25: Teresa Brown was located in good health.

Police are looking for 18-year-old Teresa S. Brown, who was last seen at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 3018 Bellefontaine. Teresa is a black female who is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes and may be wearing a red jacket with a hood. She has diminished mental capacity and may be easily coerced. Her family is worried about her. If you know where Teresa Brown is, please tell her to contact a family member and notify the Missing Persons Section at 816-234-5136 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Help us ID person who may have information on Jan. 9 murder

Detectives are trying to identify the man in the above picture and short video. He may have information regarding the homicide of Randy Wilson from January 9, 2010. The man is not a suspect or person of interest but was in the 7-11 at Linwood and Gillham prior to the homicide and detectives believe the victim may have been in the store at the same time as the man in the picture.

Anyone with information regarding the man's identity should call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS(8477).

Police seek woman missing since Wednesday

UPDATE: Francis returned home on her own.

Police are looking for 28-year-old Kellye D. Francis, who was last seen at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 10535 Jefferson. Ms. Francis is a black female who is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 142 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes and may be wearing a brown, collar-length wig with red streaks. She was last seen wearing a blue or gray sweatsuit and sneakers.

Ms. Francis suffers from a mental disorder and is off of her medication. Her family is concerned for her safety. If you know where Kellye Francis is, please tell her to contact a family member and notify the Missing Persons Section at 816-234-5136.

KCPD Crime Lab re-accredited

PRESS RELEASE:

The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) has notified the Kansas City Missouri Police Department that its crime lab has been re-accredited.

ASCLD inspectors conducted an audit of the Kansas City Police Department Regional Crime Laboratory from Aug. 24 to 28, 2009. This audit was in addition to the annual internal audits the Crime Lab conducts. ASCLD’s audit found that the lab met 84 percent of “essential” criteria, 84 percent of “important” criteria and 100 percent of “desirable” criteria.

Upon receiving the audit report, Crime Lab staff worked to improve all the areas in which the inspectors said they did not meet standards and completed this work on Nov. 30, 2009. Lab staff provided ASCLD with documentation and examples of those changes on Dec. 15. ASCLD notified Kansas City Police on Monday that the lab had successfully remediated those standards and that the lab is now fully accredited through 2014.

“We’re very pleased we were able to quickly remediate the standards and successfully retain our accreditation,” Crime Lab Director Linda Netzel said.

ASCLD’s rigorous accreditation process requires crime labs to meet 91 essential criteria and also looks for 45 important criteria and 16 desirable criteria. Their audits cover everything from employee training to safety equipment to evidence chain of custody. Just four other law enforcement agencies in Missouri operate ASCLD-accredited crime labs. ASCLD conducts accreditation audits of crime labs every five years.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

Police Athletic League offers free gun safety locks

KCPD's Police Athletic League (PAL) has a limited number of free handgun safety locks to give away to the public. The locks will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. If you would like one of these free locks, go to the PAL Center at 1801 White. (Here are directions on how to get there.) The PAL Center is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call the Center at 816-241-6816.

Beware scams involving Haiti relief

The FBI has issued a reminder to Internet users to be cautious of online apppeals for financial assistance in the wake of the Haitian earthquake. It seems almost unthinkable that someone would use such an awful tragedy for their own personal gain, but past disasters have prompted inviduals with criminal intent to solicit contributions while posing as a charity. The FBI recommends the following:

* Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages.

* Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.

* Verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group’s existence and its nonprofit status rather than following a purported link to the site.

* Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.

* Make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf to ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes.

* Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions: Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.

For more information, go to our Fraud Unit's page.

Don't be discouraged, though, because there are plenty of real charities doing amazing work in Haiti right now who could use your assistance. The Kansas City Star has a good piece on how to help those in Haiti through legitimate organizations.

Send comments to kcpdchief@kcpd.org.

Charges filed in McDonald's property damage

At 9:45 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 10, Kansas City police arrested the woman who was caught on tape vandalizing a McDonald’s restaurant in the 3200 block of Main Street on Dec. 27.

19-year-old Alesha McMullen has been charged with first-degree property damage, a Class D felony. Officers located her Sunday morning hiding in a closet in an apartment in the 400 block of E. Armour Boulevard.

We received many tips in this case, and we thank you for that.

Bad weather led to many more car crashes

Suspecting that bad weather has led to more car crashes this month, we’ve run the numbers and discovered that crashes were up 12 percent from Jan. 1, 2010, to today, compared to the same time period last month (Dec. 1-12, 2009) in Kansas City, Mo.

Non-injury car crashes saw a 26 percent increase, from 557 in the first 12 days of December to 703 in the first 12 days of January (and Jan. 12 isn’t over yet). There actually were 16 fewer injury accidents in January compared to December. One of the few bright spots of slick roadways are that they make drivers slow down, and while this may not prevent a wreck, it will help prevent injuries. When roads are bad, police usually see an increase in non-injury wrecks and a decrease in injury ones. Fortunately, no fatality crashes took place in the first 12 days of December 2009 or January 2010.

One of the most disheartening statistics in this report was the number of hit-and-run cases. From Dec. 1-12, hit-and-run drivers were involved in 155 wrecks, two of which involved a pedestrian being struck. So far this month, we’ve seen 128 hit-and-run crashes, including one involving a pedestrian. We know that the recent weather has made roads slick, but if you hit another vehicle – even if it was an accident – you are required by law to do the right thing by stopping and contacting the driver of the other vehicle (or the vehicle’s owner in the case of a parked car). All hit-and-run cases are followed up and investigated by detectives, and if they find that you struck a vehicle and didn’t take responsibility for it, you’ll face far worse consequences than if you’d simply stopped and exchanged information. And if you hit a person, you must stop and call 911 immediately.

As the temperatures warm and the snow melts, I hope to see these crash numbers go down. But in the meantime, please be careful.

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Man killed Saturday morning identified

At 5:13 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, officers were called to an area hospital to investigate a shooting. They found the victim and other belligerent and uncooperative people in the emergency room. The victim died from his wounds shortly after arriving. He has been identified as 21-year-old Randy L. Wilson, of Kansas City, Mo. The victim had apparently been shot in a vehicle, which had then been driven to the hospital.

The occupants of the car were questioned and said that they were driving through the intersection of Linwood and Gillham when the victim was shot from outside of the vehicle. The driver believed that an oncoming car had fired the shots.

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

Police seek missing and endangered 14-year-old

UPDATE: Beauty Smith was located walking near Ruskin High School in fair condition. Detectives will interview her to determine if a crime has occurred.

14-year-old Beauty Smith was last seen leaving a friend's house near 111th and Winchester at 10 p.m. last night, Jan. 10. Beauty was supposed to walk home from the friend's house, which is across the street from her home. Beauty never arrived home, so her parents notified police. Police and family are in fear for her safety.

Beauty Smith is considered a Missing/Endangered Juvenile. She is a 14-year-old black female who is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. She has a birthmark on her right cheek. She was last seen wearing a purple sweater and purple jeans.

Anyone who has seen Beauty Smith or has information on her whereabouts should call KCPD's Crimes Against Children Unit at 816-234-5150 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Blood donors needed badly

Every summer, we along with other area police agencies face off against area fire departments in a friendly competition called Battle for Blood. We compete to see whether police or fire can donate the most units of blood. It's a cause close to the hearts of many who work here. Officers frequently see people in need of one of the most basic components of human life: blood. We work car accidents and investigate shootings and assaults and a number of other circumstances in which the lives of victims depends on the generosity of others who donate blood. According to the Community Blood Center, one victim of a serious car crash can require 50 units of blood.

The recent spate of bad weather means those life-giving donations are not happening very much right now. Maureen O'Sullivan, director of donor recruitment for the Community Blood Center, said the last week of weather has been awful for them. She said several blood drives were scheduled at area schools this week, but all were cancelled because of the weather. Parents who normally come in to donate during their workday haven't because they had to stay home with the kids on snow days. Maureen said blood drives at companies this week also were cancelled when employers told their workers to stay home. Blood drives scheduled for outlying areas also were cancelled because the roads were impassable. To meet the demand for blood by local hospitals, the Blood Center needs to collect an average of 580 units every weekday.

If you can make it to one of the Community Blood Center's five metro-area locations now, you could meet a dire need and save a life. Go to www.savealifenow.org for more information.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

If you're in a minor accident, get off the main road and stay in your car

A very tragic accident happened a few days ago on the other side of the state line in which a man who had been involved in a car wreck got out of his car to survey the damage on Interstate 635. When he saw another out-of-control car coming toward him, he jumped over the barrier onto what he thought was level ground but instead fell to his death.

This is an unfortunate reminder about the dangers that can follow minor car crashes. Each year, people are killed in secondary collisions as they stand in the road after a minor accident. If you are involved in a minor accident on a highway, please pull off on the nearest exit before exchanging information or waiting for police. Likewise, if you are involved in a minor accident on a main thoroughfare street, move your vehicle to the side of the roadway or pull off on the nearest side-street or parking lot. And please stay in your car. You are safer there than you are standing on the side of the road. This is especially true in bad weather. We recently gave a Purple Heart to an officer who was working an accident on icy roads and was seriously injured when she was hit by someone who lost control of his car. Ironically, she was hit while trying to tell victims of a prior accident to stay in their car.

MODOT and City crews are doing their best to clear the roads, but with wind and frigid cold, we all - including police - need to be especially careful.

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Do you know this angry fast food customer?

UPDATE 3, JAN. 8:

Thanks to your tips, we have identified the woman who was in the video. It turns out she's also wanted for questioning in an aggravated assault that took place Dec. 30, three days after the McDonald's incident. But police are having trouble tracking her down, so if you know where she is, please call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

UPDATE 2, JAN. 6:

We have received numerous tips since posting this video. Thank you. Detectives are following up on leads now and have requested the video be taken down while we investigate.

UPDATED AND REVISED JAN. 6:

Kansas City Police are seeking the woman seen in the above surveillance video (sorry, no audio) who caused thousands of dollars in damage when she became irate at a McDonald's in the 3200 block of Main Street. The woman did not like the way her sandwich was made, so she took it back to the cashier and proceeded to throw a container of drinking water over the counter. She then threw a "wet floors" sign. Finally, she started knocking off the cashiers' computers/cash registers, which caused more than $3,000 in damage.

The Kansas City Crimestoppers are offering a reward for information in this case. If you know who this woman is, call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Beware Census scammers

While we have not yet received any reports of this in Kansas City, I wanted to give everyone a heads-up that the Better Business Bureau has warned scammers might take the opportunity, during the 2010 Census, to attempt to steal victims' personal information. All citizens are encouraged to use caution when releasing any personal information to anyone. The Census may be taken by mail, telephone, or a personal visit. According to the BBB:

• If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home.

• Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census. While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, it will not ask for Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers nor will employees solicit donations.

• Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail or in person at home. However, they will not contact you by e-mail, so be on the look out for e-mail scams impersonating the Census. Never click on a link or open any attachments in an e-mail that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.

For more information, check our Fraud Unit web page or the Better Business Bureau.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

It's here!

The all new http://www.kcpd.org/ launched at about 8 a.m. today. Check out the new design, all the new features and more.

The site was designed to be intuitive, user-friendly and to provide the most information in as few clicks as possible. It has everything from the latest KCPD news to videos to crime statistics in your neighborhood to contact information for nearly every unit on the department.

Handy features include: A-to-Z navigation, which allows you to search by letter of the alphabet (for example – you can go to “N” if you’re looking for North Patrol Division); an in-depth careers page to inform you all about jobs at KCPD and how to apply; maps to show you what patrol division you live in; and Board of Police Commissioners meeting videos, minutes and agendas.

KCPD Media Unit staff designed the site in conjunction with the City of Kansas City and The EBS Group of Lenexa, Kan.

Let me know what you think of the new site at kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

Victims of weekend homicides identified

JAN. 7 UPDATE: Charges have been filed in the death of Antwan Clark. 27-year-old Tony Garrett of Kansas City, Mo., has been charged with second-degree murder.

On January 2, at 8:26 p.m., police were called to the intersection of 113th Street and Sycamore Terrace in regard to a one-car accident. Upon arrival, a black male shooting victim was located in the driver's seat with no signs of life. He has been identified as 17-year-old Cortez Wilson, a black male of Kansas City, Mo. (no photo available).

On January 3, at 1:40 p.m., police were called to a residence in the 2500 block of Chestnut in regard to a shooting. Upon arrival, officers were informed that the victim was shot in the front yard and transported to a local hospital by private vehicle. The victim was located at a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. He has been identified as 22-year-old Antwan Clark of Kansas City, Mo., and is pictured above. Witnesses state they heard the sound of gunshots and saw a black male wearing a black jacket and black stocking cap running south from the crime scene.

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

First homicide victim of 2010 identified

At 1:15 a.m. today, Jan. 1, police were called to Joshua's night club, 5701 Longview Rd., regarding a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located a shooting victim in the parking lot. She was transported to a local hospital and died a short time later. She has been identified as 25-year-old Latasha Prewitt of Kansas City, Mo. Witnesses say two black females in their mid-20s were escorted out of the club after being involved in a fight. The disturbance continued in the parking lot, and the suspect shot the victim. The suspect was arrested at the scene by security officers. Charges have been filed on two suspects.

Anyone who may have witnessed the disturbance/shooting is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).