Renovations at Headquarters

The main story on the front page of today’s Kansas City Star does a great job outlining the need for renovations here at 1125 Locust St. Our Homicide Unit and other violent crimes detectives work in unacceptably cramped and outdated conditions. Our dedicated Building Operations staff faces a never-ending task in keeping our HVAC and plumbing systems functioning.

But thanks to you, this is all about to change. By the spring of 2014, Police Headquarters will be fully renovated for the first time since it was built in 1938. The project is funded by the Public Safety Sales Tax, which you, the voters, overwhelmingly renewed in 2010. This will benefit not only the police who work here but also victims and witnesses, as the Star points out:

“No longer will witnesses and victims risk crossing paths with suspects before being interviewed. They won’t be forced to sit for hours in stark waiting rooms either. Architects have designed the layout to shelter victims from the accused and give police private places to take their statements.”

Detectives will be able to work on cases much more effectively and efficiently with this set up, and we hope it will contribute to increased victim and witness cooperation.

We will be adding a community meeting room off the first-floor lobby for public use, as well. And the architect is working to restore much of the building’s original Art Deco grandeur.

You might notice work going on around Headquarters, and we apologize for the inconvenience.

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The future East Patrol Division / Crime Lab campus - where do you think it should be?

Thanks to Kansas City voters renewing the quarter-cent public safety sales tax in November 2010, we are moving forward with capital improvement plans. First on the list is a new campus to house the East Patrol Division and Crime Lab. We're working with the City Architect's Office, City Manager's Office, City Council members and the Mayor to find the perfect spot for these buildings, and we'd like your suggestions.

Below are some of the factors that will be considered:
* Cost
* Size and shape of the site - it needs to be 12 to 15 acres
* Public accessibility (both by vehicles and pedestrians)
* Visibility of the surrounding area and security
* Possible environmental hazards or contamination
* Sufficient distance from railroad tracks and major highways to protect the Crime Lab from ground vibrations
* An opportunity to build in a blighted area in order to serve as an anchor for neighborhood improvement.

If you have an idea of where you think would be the perfect spot for the new East Patrol and Crime Lab, go to www.saferkc.com/east to submit your suggestions.

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Old Metro Patrol Station being torn down

The old Metro Patrol Division station at 1880 E. 63rd St. will soon be no more. Our goal is to have the building demolished by the end of the year. Built in 1977, it was in such poor condition that the cost to repair the building would have been well more than it is worth. Even if we were to use it as a storage facility, the leaks are so bad that the roof would need repair – which would be another large cost. I’ve heard from several people that the roof has leaked there since the grand opening of the building 33 years ago.

The old station has been vacant since June, when we opened the new station at 7601 Prospect Ave. But we didn’t forget about it. Inside every Kansas City Police facility is a bronze plaque stating when it was constructed, by whom, and who was on the Board of Police Commissioners and City Council at the time. We took that plaque out of the old Metro Station and installed it in the new building. I know the old station had a lot of sentimental value to many people, and we wanted to preserve it in some manner.

Demolition already is underway. The property is being abated right now as crews remove anything that requires special handling – like the fuel tanks that are there. Then, our goal is to have the building demolished and the site cleared by Dec. 31.

The future of the 1.5-acre site hasn’t been decided. It sits adjacent to the city’s Daniel Morgan Boone Park and is next to the burial site of the man for whom the park is named – the third son of legendary frontiersman Daniel Boone. So it has some historical and recreational value. We’ll try to keep you up to date on what will become of it.

The good news is that all the buildings constructed under this current public safety sales tax and the extension just approved by voters are designed to last at least 50 years. Maintenance funding has been built into the tax, so these buildings will serve the people of this city for many decades to come.


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Thank you for your votes

I want to sincerely thank Kansas City voters for their overwhelming support of public safety. Yesterday, 70 percent of them voted to renew the quarter-cent public safety sales tax for another 15 years. Another 63 percent voted to allow the city to issue bonds to get major construction projects underway as soon as possible.


This was a clear indication that the people of this city value a place where police have the best tools available to fight crime. And they will. With the passage of the tax, here’s what’s coming:

• A new East Patrol Division station
• A new North Patrol Division station
• A new Crime Lab
• Police Headquarters renovations
• A new city-wide radio system
• Newer, more reliable police vehicles
• New police helicopters
• Modernization of police equipment
• A Real Time Crime Center
• New and updated ambulances

This packet of information explains more about each of these projects. In the coming months, you’ll be hearing more about them. On the construction side, we look forward to all the jobs they will create. Once they’re finished, we look forward to how they’ll better serve the community.

Thank you again for your support.

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Get out and vote!

Today is election day all across America, and there are some very important issues and contests on the ballot here in Kansas City. I encourage you to research who and what you'll be voting for. If you live in Missouri, you can look up your sample ballot before you head to the polls.

If you live in Kansas City, questions 1 and 2 on the ballot are about renewing the public safety sales tax. Question 1 would renew the existing tax. Question 2 would allow the City to issue bonds, allowing for the completion of a new East Patrol Division Station, North Patrol Division Station, Regional Crime Lab and Headquarters remodel within the next 3 to 4 years. You can learn more at http://www.saferkc.com/.

Another important issue for both Missouri and Kansas City voters is Proposition A. The City of Kansas City has put together an informational packet on the possible effects of this measure that you can see here.  

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Construction now underway for new South Patrol and Special Ops divisions

As I told you about last week, we broke ground on Friday on the new South Patrol and Special Operations division staions. It was a great day with lots of Southland community members, elected officials, and officers who are excited to get new facilities.

Below are the remarks I delivered at the event, and some pictures from the day. Keep in mind this project is being paid for by the 1/4-cent public safety sales tax voters passed in 2002. That tax is up for renewal tomorrow. Here are my remarks from that day: 

"Thank you, everyone, for joining us on this crisp morning. I want to especially welcome the elected officials here with us today, the members of the Board of Police Commissioners, staff members of the City Architect’s Office and our Capital Improvements Unit, Hoefer Wysocki Architects and Titan Construction. All of you have played a big part in getting us to this day.

Where we stand today was once the Hart Grove Campground. It was a place of rest and refreshment for pioneers headed west on the three trails that converged here: the Santa Fe, California and Oregon trails. It was a safe haven for those pioneers, and it will be a safe haven once again. The construction of the new South Patrol and Special Operations Division stations will increase police presence and effectiveness both here in the Southland and throughout the city. We believe it will spur development in this area and deter crime.

These facilities are badly needed. The current South Patrol Division was built in 1978 and is not serving the needs of officers or residents. Its roof is leaking, there are inadequate facilities for female officers and community groups, and highway access is poor. Our Special Operations Division is housed in an even worse location – a dilapidated, old warehouse built in the 1930s with horrible leaks and mold that has previously caught fire.

Our officers and the community deserve better. And thanks to the generosity and foresight of Kansas City voters, they will get it. This station is being constructed with money generated from the quarter-cent public safety sales tax that residents approved in 2002. I want to sincerely thank the community for recognizing the importance of public safety. Without you, none of this would be possible."

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Police will break ground on new South Patrol & Special Operations stations on Friday

PRESS RELEASE:

Police and city officials will break ground Friday on new South Patrol and Special Operations division stations.

The ground-breaking ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at the site, 9701 Marion Park Drive, which is behind the Home Depot on Bannister Road.

The $28 million project is being funded by the ¼-cent public safety sales tax voters passed in 2002. It will include the construction of new stations for the South Patrol and Special Operations divisions; a multipurpose building that will have office space, a gymnasium, work-out facilities and back-up 911 center; two vehicle storage buildings and a fueling site; and kennels and office space for the Canine Section. The whole project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2013.

The 25-acre site on which these will be constructed is the former location of the Hart Grove Camp Ground, which was a stop for pioneers who were headed west on the Santa Fe, Oregon and California Trails. Police believe the construction of several facilities on the site will spur development in the area, increase police presence and deter crime.

The media are invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony.

How the public safety sales tax will affect KCPD

On Nov. 2, Kansas City voters will be asked to extend a quarter-cent sales tax for public safety. The below video explains the impact that tax would have on the Kansas City Missouri Police Department.



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Thank you, City Council, for putting sales tax continuation on November ballot

We want to take this opportunity to thank the Kansas City Council for unanimously voting to put the extension of the public safety sales tax on the November 2 ballot. Through the leadership of Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee Chair Cathy Jolly, the Council recognized the capital projects and technology the police department needs to fight crime more effectively. As Councilwoman Jolly said, “These projects will make a tangible difference in public safety in our city.”

Some of the projects to be included in the tax include new East and North patrol division stations, a new crime lab, new helicopters, a new radio system, new vehicles and technology that will push us further and further into intelligence-based policing. In addition to police needs, the tax will fund modernization of the city’s ambulance fleet and emergency operations costs like tornado sirens.

The Council approved putting a 15-year extension of the quarter-cent sales tax on the ballot. They also approved a funding mechanism, general obligation bonds, to move construction projects forward as soon as possible.

Since 2002, this public safety tax has funded a sixth patrol division station – Shoal Creek Patrol – to serve the ever-growing Northland population; a new police academy to create better trained officers; a new Metro Patrol Division Station to replace the small, crumbling structure on 63rd Street; and new South Patrol and Special Operations Division Stations, which are being designed now. I thank the taxpayers for their graciousness in approving this tax eight years ago, and I thank the City Council for once again giving Kansas City residents the opportunity to show their support of high-quality public safety in their community.

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Two big decisions from the Board of Police Commissioners today

Two big decisions came out of today’s Board of Police Commissioners meeting that I wanted to tell you about.

The first has been several years in the making: a memorandum of understanding between the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 99 (FOP) and the Board of Police Commissioners. The process had been contentious at times, but we worked through the difficult parts to reach an understanding between rank-and-file officers and the command staff and Board. The MOU recognizes the FOP as the bargaining entity of all sworn personnel at the rank of sergeant or below. This is something that has been an issue for more than a decade, and everyone involved is pleased to have come to this labor management agreement. The Board unanimously approved it. As FOP Lodge 99 President Sergeant Brad Dumit said this morning, “There is nothing now that together we can’t overcome.”

The second big decision was the Board’s resolution regarding the public safety sales tax. The Board voted 4-1 to ask the Kansas City Council to put the renewal of the quarter-cent public safety sales tax on the November ballot. Mayor Mark Funkhouser voted against the resolution because he said he wanted the tax to fund additional police personnel. Police Department staff have recommended against using a sunsetting tax to hire and maintain staff. The resolution approved this morning is to extend the quarter-cent sales tax that is set to expire in 2011 another 15 years. The tax will be used for capital improvements, including the construction of new East and North patrol division stations and a new Crime Lab; remodeling Police Headquarters, a new radio system for all city departments, new helicopters, police vehicles and equipment. The Board decided to make the tax 15 years in length to correspond with the debt service the City already agreed upon for the new city-wide radio system. Staff determined the tax would put enough relief on the City’s general fund to free up money to hire 40 additional officers. The City Council must now approve putting the measure on the November 2010 ballot.

You’ll be hearing more about these things in the future, but I wanted to pass on the major decisions that took place today.

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