Congratulations, KCPD Spanish Immersion graduates

Today, 12 officers graduated from our fifth annual Spanish Immersion program. They are pictured above with their professor, Lucia Villanueva. These officers were taken out of their assignments for 10 weeks to intensively study Spanish. They completed the equivalent of four college semesters of Spanish instruction in this time period. Five of them- those with the top GPAs - have been selected to go to Morelia, Mexico (which is in the state of Michoacan),  for five weeks to stay with host families and further their Spanish studies by taking two more semesters' worth of language and culture. Officers from past KCPD Spanish immersion programs have reported on their experiences there.

During this intensive 10-week course, these 12 officers got one week for spring break. But they didn't stop their studies. Instead, they went out into schools like Alta Vista Charter Middle School and organizations like the Don Bosco Senior Center as "community volunteers." They showed up in plain clothes Monday through Thursday, volunteering alongside the children and seniors, and didn't reveal they were police officers until the Friday of that week. Spanish Immersion program director Officer Lynda Hacker said many of the school children asked repeatedly, "You're really a policeman?" when they found out. We now have even stronger relationships with the future of this city - the children in those schools.

A total of 92 KCPD officers now have graduated from the Spanish Immersion program. Why have we spent the time and money to take these officers off the streets each year to teach them Spanish? The answer is simple: to communicate with those we serve. We are charged with protecting life and property and reducing fear and disorder for everyone who lives, works or plays in the 319 square miles that comprise Kansas City, Mo. In the last 15 years or so, we found we were unable to communicate with some of those we serve. Through this program, we can. We can build trust and learn who the bad guys are and get them off the streets.

Jacob Prada, who serves as the Mexican Consulate General in Kansas City, drove home during his speech at the graduation why this is becoming more important. He said the U.S. Census recorded an increase of 18,000 people to Kansas City's population from 2000 to 2010. Of those 18,000 new people here, 15,000 were Hispanic. That's 5 out of 6. It is incredibly important for the safey of everyone in Kansas City that we have conversations and relationships with these residents. Thanks to the 12 officers who graduated today and the 80 others who have gone before them, we can.

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Police partner with Kansas City Complete Count Committee for big Census Day event

PRESS RELEASE

The 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour is coming to Kansas City from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, April 1, at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Center to talk to community members about the vital importance of participating in the 2010 Census on National Census Day.

Mayor Mark Funkhouser and other City Council members will speak to the importance of the Census at 11:30 a.m. Multicultural dancers and story-tellers will perform throughout the day. Free lunch will be available, as will the Kansas City Police Department’s Mounted Patrol Section and Kansas City Fire Department fire truck. The KCPD helicopter will land at about 12:30 p.m., weather permitting.

This event is part of simultaneous national and regional cross-country Road Tours in which participants can learn about the 2010 Census and the positive impact their participation can have on their community. Census data is used to allocate the 435 seats in Congress, and directly affects how more than $400 billion per year in federal funding is distributed to tribal, state and local governments and non-profit organizations serving their communities.

EVENT DETAILS: Thursday, April 1, 2010
11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Center
3700 Blue Parkway
Kansas City, MO 64130


ON SITE VISUALS: Please stop by the 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour to:

• Fill in a larger-than-life 10 question Census questionnaire with the actual questions from this spring’s survey.
• Record your story on a Portrait of America Kiosk
• Learn about the importance of the 2010 Census to your community
• Get some great 2010 Census giveaways

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