Because our homicide statistics returned to “normal” in 2015 after a 42-year low in 2014, many have said that whatever we’re doing must not be working. There were 110 people killed in Kansas City last year. While we couldn’t possibly have prevented every one of them, we have worked diligently to stop those who are most likely to be victims and suspects of crimes through our Kansas City No Violence Alliance (KC NoVA), among other initiatives.
You can’t prove a negative, so it’s impossible to say how many homicides KC NoVA has prevented. Suffice it to say, I wholeheartedly believe there would have been much more violence the past year without NoVA’s work.
KC NoVA is a partnership begun in 2013 between our department, prosecutors, city government, social services and academia. This program has mapped out the relationships of everyone involved in a violent crime in our city over the last four years. Since January 1, 2014, they have identified 57 criminal networks with 1,239 members. These offenders have been identified as being 100 times more likely to be a murder victim than the average Kansas City resident.
KC NoVA targets the most violent offenders – those at the epicenters of these criminal networks – for aggressive prosecution. Consider some of these arrest statistics over the past two years:
Felons in possession of firearms: 31
Other federal firearm arrests: 15
Federal warrant arrests: 17
State warrant arrests: 140
City warrant arrests: 739
Investigative arrests: 214
Parole absconders: 1,354 (NoVA in partnership with other KCPD elements and Missouri Probation and Parole)
KC NoVA officers have checked 2,199 residences, 533 vehicles, 249 pedestrians and 16 businesses. They also have conducted 11 “call-in” events attended by 241 people who have been identified as a member of a criminal network. These call-ins let attendees know the gravity of their crimes and that the full force of law enforcement and prosecution will be on the members of their group if a violent crime takes place.
Just in 2015, members of KC NoVA have sought to interrupt the cycle of violence even more. Thirty-five times since the beginning of last year, KC NoVA members met with the victim of a violent act (if he or she is living) and that person’s associates (friends, family members and whoever else might have influence on them) immediately following a violent act – usually a shooting or homicide. The goal is to prevent retaliatory violence.
Also beginning last year, a customized team of people have been conducting “mini call-ins” at the homes of individuals at risk for violence. These are typically people who police know will not attend a call-in event or have already refused to come. The notification teams can include community members, KCPD officers, a prosecutor, clergy and a member of Mothers in Charge.
Some of the people at greatest risk for committing or becoming victims of violent crime are those who already have committed violent crime. That’s why KC NoVA began extra efforts in 2015 to monitor prisoners who get out on parole or probation. Police and other NoVA partners are now meeting with individuals with a history of violent behavior before they are released from prison and back onto the streets of Kansas City, Mo. This has taken place 37 times in the past year. It’s also like a “mini call-in,” informing the individual that he or she will be closely monitored by law enforcement. It’s also a chance to offer social services to help them reintegrate into society.
KC NoVa is essentially a two-part initiative: enforcement and social services. For those less-violent offenders on the periphery of the mapped-out criminal networks, KC NoVA offers them a way out of a criminal lifestyle through support and social services. KC NoVA’s Social Services component has assessed 337 people for services. Presently, 103 of them are getting help. In partnership with numerous community resources, KC NoVA has provided them with substance abuse treatment, employment assistance, housing services, anger management courses, legal support, clothing, insurance and childcare assistance and mental health treatment. Many clients cannot read or write and have received literacy and education assistance, as well. All clients who get assistance also are now required to complete a conflict resolution course. A majority of the homicides in Kansas City are the result of poor conflict resolution skills.
I am confident that KC NoVA’s work – as well as that of every other member of this police department – is making a difference. The homicide numbers do not tell the full story. Also keep in mind that Kansas City has experienced much of what the rest of the country did last year. The FBI released their crime report a few weeks ago that covered the first half of 2015. Murders were up 6.2 percent nationwide between January and June 2015. Overall violent crime was up 1.7 percent. We were fortunate not to experience the huge spike other cities did. According to the FBI, Kansas City had 36 homicides in the first six months of last year. During that same time, St. Louis had 92, Baltimore had 144 and Milwaukee had 75.
While I am certain we are working very hard to reduce violence in Kansas City, I must again remind everyone that there is only so much police can do. We need the help of everyone in the community to make a difference. From clean-ups in blighted areas of town to mentoring to parenting to reduced access to guns for those who shouldn’t have them – all these things could go a long way to ending senseless violence in our community.
In May of this year, we and several partner agencies announced the creation of the Kansas City No Violence Alliance – or KC NoVA. Since that time, pieces are falling into place to significantly reduce the City’s violent crime in 2013. Repeat offenders who are all too familiar with the criminal justice system will see harsh legal consequences like never before because the system is going to work differently.
KC NoVA is a focused deterrence model similar to what has worked in other cities like Cincinnati and Boston. (Homicides fell by 47 percent in Cincinnati with this type of program.) It focuses law enforcement resources on the most violent offenders and groups while incorporating various systems of support to help lower-level offenders change their paths. Here in Kansas City, it incorporates municipal and federal law enforcement; local, state and federal prosecutors; Probation and Parole; the City; the juvenile justice system and academic research.
Here at KCPD, I have assigned a captain to oversee the project, as well as a sergeant and two detectives. But the whole department will be participating in gathering intelligence and identifying the worst perpetrators of crime in our city. The KC NoVA team is collocated with prosecutors in the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, and they are working with a research team at the University of Missouri Kansas City to analyze and diagram the city’s criminal networks, targeting the most central figures for swift and certain prosecution.
Those who are on the periphery of those networks and not as heavily involved in violent crime also will be targeted, but for different reasons. They will be offered social services to help them leave crime behind and become productive members of society. They will be assigned case managers who will assist them with things like anger management, life skills, job training, housing and transportation.
Many of these violent crime prevention efforts also begin with offenders re-entering the City after serving time in prison for violent offenses. We are partnering with Probation and Parole like never before. Just last week, a team of KCPD officers met with a man who had been in prison for 26 years and was getting out that day. The officers told him about the resources available to him for successfully re-entering society and let him know they would be checking on him regularly. He is going back to be surrounded by many of the same violent people he was when he committed the crime, but we hope these interventions will help him turn away from those negative influences.
KC NoVA also is working with faith-based communities, family members of those involved in violent crime and neighborhoods to deter violent crime and heal communities.
Deterrence is KC NoVA’s ultimate goal. We hope to achieve this by cracking down very hard on the most violent offenders and giving lower-level offenders the tools they need to get away from a life of crime. I anticipate that you will see a significant reduction in homicides and aggravated assaults in 2013 and the years to come thanks to KC NoVA’s efforts.
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Our Community Support Division (CSD) is continuing to make inroads and assist communities impacted by violence. Members of the Division so far have gone to more than 700 homes to reach out to residents in what we’re calling the “Community Impact Zone,” which is in one of the areas of the city identified as a violent crime hotspot.
CSD hired two summer employees – one in high school and one starting college – who I assigned the task of making phone calls to the uncooperative victims of more than 140 aggravated assaults that have occurred in 2012. Many of the assaults had multiple victims, so a total of 202 calls were made. Because of those calls, six victims have decided to cooperate in the prosecution of their cases. The Assault Squad is following up with them and working to present their cases to the prosecutor. The summer employees also made the victims aware of social services that are available to them whether they decide to prosecute or not. This kind of outreach will be continuing. As pointed out in a Kansas City Star article, victims of aggravated assault who choose not to prosecute those who hurt them often perpetuate the cycle of violence through retaliation, and we want to stop that.
Another thing CSD has implemented that has been very successful is the Community Crisis Intervention Program. This program takes the idea that someone who has been through a crisis and/or traumatic situation needs some counseling and applies it to a group of people. It’s often used for first responders and those who come into the aftermath of a traumatic event. We have applied this to four different communities that have suffered from violence. After their meetings, they have been empowered and eager to take control of the safety and security of their neighborhoods.
Additionally, CSD is working with Missouri Probation and Parole to create a Resource Fair attended by several community organizations. These organizations can assist offenders with myriad resources from basic needs like food, clothing and transportation to job skill training, mentoring and mental health services.
The CSD supports crime victims, their families, witnesses and more. We intend for the division to work more on crime prevention efforts in the future, as well.
For more information about financial support for violent crime victims and their families, go to the web site for the Missouri Department of Public Safety’s Crime Victims’ Compensation Program.
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The police are just one part of the criminal justice system, and we're happy to be strengthening our relationships with other pieces of that system. Read this story from our July Informant newsletter about the new partnership we're forging with Missouri Probation and Parole to increase public safety:
Kansas City Police and Missouri Probation and Parole are working together more closely than ever and are developing a new initiative to prevent high-risk offenders from committing new crimes.
Shortly after he took office in November 2011, Chief Darryl Forté assigned Sergeant Gary Cooley to get KCPD more involved in the process of offenders re-entering the community after serving prison time. Sergeant Cooley said one thing was glaringly evident from the start.
“There was a big gap between the police department and Probation and Parole,” Sergeant Cooley said. “… They’re eager for a positive, working relationship with police.”
His role has morphed into that of liaison between the police department and Missouri Probation and Parole. Shari Morlang, the Probation and Parole District 4 Administrator, said this is the first time in her 20 years that there has been someone so closely connecting the two agencies.
Cooley said although both organizations have the same goal of public safety, there are several misconceptions police have about Probation and Parole and vice versa. Morlang said having the police liaison position is helping eliminate those.
“One goal of working with Sgt. Cooley is to cross-train and educate each other on our duties and requirements so we have a better understanding,” she said.
This new relationship is leading to a pilot program aimed at increasing public safety: Safety Through Accountability and Community Collaboration, or STACC. Set to launch before the first of September, STACC seeks “to provide intervention, education and accountability to high-risk offenders within the Kansas City, Missouri, Metropolitan area.”
Sergeant Cooley is working with Probation and Parole staff to identify offenders who are most likely to recommit violent crimes upon their release from prison. He, Probation and Parole staff and other police officers will then closely monitor those offenders upon their release into the community. STACC will assist with job and life skills training, housing and other resources to assist the offender with re-integrating into the community.
“This is not a ‘hug-a-thug’ program,” Cooley said. “… STACC will support them if they want to change. If not, we will intervene as quickly as possible before they commit another crime.”
Cooley said offenders identified to be part of STACC will meet with police and Probation and Parole as soon as they are released from prison, followed by several in-home visits.
“It’s puts another layer of accountability in their minds to know that not just Probation and Parole, but also police, are keeping an eye on them,” he said.
Morlang said she is eager to see what STACC can accomplish.
“This is a great opportunity for the agencies to work together to help participants move toward living a more productive, crime-free and fulfilling life while strengthening families and neighborhoods at the same time,” she said. “This really is a win-win for everyone, and I am excited to be part of it.”
Through STACC and his other work, Sergeant Cooley anticipates greater communication between Probation and Parole and police. One of his goals is to notify patrol officers when an offender is released from prison or put on probation in the area they serve.
“I never got that kind of information when I was in the field, and I would have really appreciated it,” he said.
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