A police car in a neighborhood can go a long way toward
preventing crime. That’s one of many reasons I support our department’s use of
take-home vehicles. They increase police visibility, increase safety and
improve response times to critical incidents. As resources permit, I plan to
assign take-home vehicles to officers who reside in areas where there is a high
incidence of crime to increase police visibility in hopes of reducing crime and
building relationships. Eventually, I would like all patrol officers to be
assigned take-home vehicles.
On May 17, an off-duty detective was driving his take-home
vehicle in the Northland when he witnessed an armed robbery. He followed the
suspects to Truman and Paseo, where patrol officers helped arrest them. The
robbery victims were not injured, and the suspects have been charged. This is
just one of many examples of how these cars are used to protect the public. Who
knows how many other crimes would have occurred had that detective not
intervened? Those suspects could have robbed and hurt many others throughout
the city.
By being alert and having his police vehicle, that detective
was able to stop armed robbers, even though he wasn’t on the clock. Homicide
detectives, Tactical Response Team officers and many others get called out at
all times of the day, and take-home vehicles get them there quickly to speak
with as many witnesses as possible and/or to protect the public. A few years
ago, when there was an active shooter at Ward Parkway Center, I was off duty
but able to arrive on scene within several minutes because I had a take-home
car.
And just having police cars out and about in the city brings
a sense of security among law-abiding citizens and a sense of uneasiness among
those who commit crimes. This article from Government Fleet magazine does a good job outlining the many benefits of
police take-home vehicles.
Take-home vehicle use is carefully monitored so it is not
abused. These vehicles and those who use them are audited every year to
determine whether each vehicle’s use is justified. You can read those audits
here.
You also can see our policy governing take-home vehicle use here.
Keep in mind that audits of take-home vehicles do not examine feelings of
safety, improved relationships or other benefits of having police vehicles that
are readily available to respond to critical incidents.
As long as police take-home vehicles continue to prevent
crime and allow for quick response times, you will continue to see them on the
streets of Kansas City.
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.
