Police ask public to stop leaving cars running unattended to avoid theft

PRESS RELEASE:

Kansas City Police are asking residents to stop leaving their cars running unattended because it makes them an easy target for thieves.

From Nov. 1 to Dec. 18, 2009, one-fifth of cars stolen in the city had been left running unattended. The problem is the worst in the southern part of the city. Nearly 40 percent of stolen cars in the South Patrol Division were taken when they were left running unattended. In Metro Patrol, that number was about 28 percent. KCPD crime analysts believe those numbers are even higher because some victims are too embarrassed to report that they’d left their car running.

The bulk of the thefts happen when drivers leave their car warming up in their driveway, but many have happened at convenience stores. Victims think they can pop quickly into the store but then come out to find the car they left running stolen.

“We’ve come across some thieves who just wait outside convenience stores for someone to go inside and leave their car on,” said Sergeant Keith Ericsson of the East Patrol Property Crimes Section.

Detectives say that locking a running car is no protection from thieves – they can break the window out in seconds. Even newer cars with remote-start options are not safe at the hands of an experienced car thief.

Not only is leaving your car running unattended unwise, it’s illegal. City Ordinance 70-251 prohibits it and makes it punishable by a fine of $43.50.

The following table outlines how many cars have been stolen in each patrol division from Nov. 1 to Dec. 18, 2009, and how many were left running unattended, according to police reports:

	South Patrol	Metro Patrol	East Patrol	Central Patrol	Shoal Creek Patrol	North Patrol	TOTAL
Total cars stolen 11/1-12/18/09	46	60	141	111	37	28	423
Cars running unattended	18	17	24	18	3	4	84
Percent of stolen autos running unattended	39%	28%	17%	16%	8%	14%	20%

Highlights from yesterday's Board of Police Commissioners meeting

Highlights of the Dec. 22, 2009, Board of Police Commissioners Meeting:

• Capt. Rich Lockhart presented the department’s new web site, which will go live Jan. 4, 2010.

• Deputy Chief Cy Ritter reported that there have been 64 traffic fatalities in Kansas City this year compared to 58 at this date in 2008. He noted two disturbing trends:
- The number of passengers in vehicles killed this year is up 80 percent from last year.
- Motorcycle fatalities have increased 63 percent over 2008.

• As of Monday, Dec. 21, D.C. Ritter said police had eliminated the backlog of red light camera violations waiting to be reviewed. At one time, thousands were in queue. Four officers were pulled out of the Traffic Enforcement Unit to review the violations full time. Now that they’re caught up, residents who got violations from the cameras should receive their tickets in the mail much more quickly.

• After nearly two years of work to report crime statistics more accurately, Major Christine Laughlin announced that the State of Missouri has certified KCPD as NIBRS (National Incident-Based Reporting System) Compliant. Kansas City is the first large city in Missouri to achieve this certification. The State has reviewed the department’s last three months of data in the new system and declared it 100 percent accurate.

• Deputy Chief Rachel Whipple explained the work of a recent committee to reassign civilians to fill critical positions like 911 calltakers, report input control and station desk clerks left vacant by a hiring freeze. She said no one took a pay cut or lost their job, but several civilians were transferred, and others will have to take on the duties of two jobs.

• Deputy Chief Darryl Forte said that the department continues to negotiate with the City and Jackson County regarding a regional jail. He said the space in which the entities would like KCPD to move their detention operations lacks the square footage for four interrogation rooms. He said that was a requirement that is not negotiable for the department. KCPD also has yet to be quoted a price on leasing the space, he said. D.C. Forte said the space would only be a temporary location as part of a five-year plan to develop a new, regional jail, and commissioners questioned why the department would put in so much work and money to move detention operations to a short-term location. Chief James Corwin said if detention moves out of Police Headquarters, they need to go to a place that is designed to handle the scope of the operation. The KCPD Detention Unit books and processes 40,000 inmates annually.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Honoring 45 years of service

If anyone represents the spirit of dedication and commitment to the residents of Kansas City we strive for, it's Buddy Hockett. Today, I presented a ceremonial baton and the Meritorious Service Award to Mr. Hockett, who has served this police department for an astounding 45 years. In fact, we think he's the longest-serving member in the 135-year history of KCPD.

Mr. Hockett joined KCPD as an officer in 1962. By state statute, he had to retire after 30 years of service in 1992. But in 1994, he returned to the department to work as a civilian. Since then, he has worked as a dispatcher, telephone service officer and in the Data Entry Section. Mr. Hockett is the only known person to have worked as a dispatcher as both an officer and a civilian. The position used to be staffed by sworn officers. Mr. Hockett retired from KCPD for the second time on Dec. 18.

I thank Buddy for how much he has given to this police department and this city, and we wish him well in his retirement.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Agenda for tomorrow's Board of Police Commissioners Meeting

Board of Police Commissioners Meeting
Agenda – Tuesday, December 22, 2009
9:00 a.m. – 6th Floor, Board Room


1. Call to Order – Invocation – Pastor Keith Ratcliffe.

2. Awards and Commendations.

Crisis Intervention Team Award
Captain Joseph Chapman

Life-Saving Awards
Officer Sean Clarke
Officer Michael Schneider
Officer Jacob Shroyer
Officer Nicole Wright

Life-Saving Award
Officer Mark McKenney

Meritorious Service Award
Officer Dennis Coates

Meritorious Service Award
Communications Specialist Buddy Hockett

Medals of Valor
Officer Curtis Coppinger
Officer Detlef Merrill

3. Legislative Update.
Mr. Andy Arnold
Mr. Woody Cozad
Mr. Jewell Patek
Mr. Ward Cook

4. Approval of Minutes.
a. November 10, 2009 Business Session.
b. November 24, Board Meeting.

5. Mr. Gary White, City Auditor.
a. Monthly Status Report.
b. General Discussion.

6. Councilwoman Cathy Jolly - Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods.

7. CIMO Report.
Mr. Eric Bosch

8. Ms. I. Pearl Fain – Office of Community Complaints.
a. General Discussion.

9. Chief James Corwin .
a. Public Safety Sales Tax Renewal.
b. General Discussion.

10. Deputy Chief Nick Nichols – Executive Officer.
a. Monthly Report OCC Investigations.
b. General Discussion.

11. Deputy Chief Cyril Ritter – Patrol Bureau.
a. Crime Summary
b. Performance Report.
c. General Discussion.

12. Deputy Chief Kevin Masters – Investigations Bureau.
a. Arrest Summary.
b. General Discussion.

13. Deputy Chief Rachel Whipple – Administration Bureau
a. Request for Proposal No. 2010-5, Workers’ Compensation and Psychological Services.
b. Personnel Summary.
c. Right Sizing Committee Report.
d. General Discussion.

14. Deputy Chief Darryl Forte´ – Executive Services Bureau
a. Modification of the 2009 MCSAP Grant (MO9-KC-01-Z).
b. Bid No. 2010-3, New 2009 or 2010 Model Year DUI Blood Alcohol Test Vehicle.
c. Metro Patrol Division Office Furniture Purchase.
d. Adjustments to Special Revenue Accounts for Fiscal Year 2009-10.
e. Budget Transfers for Fiscal Year 2009-10.
f. Budget Summary Report for the Month of November.
g. Crime Lab Advanced Processing Techniques Fee.
h. Jail Consolidation.

15. Director Rick Brisbin – Professional Development and Research Bureau.
a. Project #367, Proposed Procedural Instruction, Operational Plans-Performance Measurement System.
b. Project #223, Revision of Procedural Instruction, Execution of Search Warrants. c. Project #314, Revision of Procedural Instruction, Detaining and Questioning Persons, Arrest, Search and Seizure.
d. Project #31, Revision of Procedural Instruction, Police Radio Communications.
e. Recommendation Regarding Academy Fees.
f. General Discussion.

16. Ms. Lisa S. Morris, Office of General Counsel.
a. Considerations Related to Possible Retirement Age Change.

17. Public Comments*

18. Scheduled Meetings:

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
9:00 a.m., 6th Floor, Board Room

Business Session:

Friday, January 8, 2010
8:30 a.m., 6th Floor, Board Room

19. Ms. Mischa Buford Epps.

20. Chief James Corwin.

21. Mayor Mark Funkhouser.

22. Commissioner Patrick McInerney

23. Commissioner James B. Wilson.

24. Commissioner Karl Zobrist.

25. Commissioner Mark C. Thompson.

26. Motion to go into Closed Session.


27. Informational Items:
a. Project #133, Revision of Procedural Instruction, Uniform and Personal Appearance Regulations.
b. Project #21, Revision of Procedural Instruction, Computer Security.
c. Project #136, Revision of Procedural Instruction, Risk Management Team.
d. Project #319, Revision of Procedural Instruction, Department Property Inventory and Control.
e. Funding Gap Elimination Implementation Timeline.
f. Recovery Act Grant Summary.
g. Status of Public Safety Sales Tax at the end of November.
h. KCPD Grant Summary Sheet 12/08/09.
i. Donated Property Summary Report.


*The Board will hear Public Comments between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m. unless other matters are required to be considered at that time. Anyone wanting to speak during the Public Comment portion of the meeting is requested to sign in on the “Public Comment Sign-In Sheet” located at the Board room entrance. The Board will hear from members of the public in the order in which they sign the “Public Comment Sign-In Sheet.”

Secret Santa visits KCPD

Yesterday was a very special day for a few KCPD employees. Kansas City's Secret Santa and his elves (KCPD officers) came to visit these very deserving people and gave them cash to help during the holiday season.

The first gift was for an administrative assistant in the Communications Unit who cares for two adult sons with disabilities, and one of them just had surgery. Another administrative assistant in the Traffic Enforcement Division received a gift of cash from Secret Santa to help with expenses after her brother was killed in a motorcycle crash.

A 75-year-old custodian at the Shoal Creek Patrol Division also was the recipient of some of Secret Santa's generosity. His family farm was recently foreclosed on, and he has had a re-occurence of cancer. The final KCPD stop of Secret Santa and his elves was at Police Headquarters, where they visited Records Unit Supervisor Yvette Leap, pictured above. Yvette has already battled cancer once and is doing it again.

After their stops around the department, Secret Santa and the KCPD elves visited local thrift stores throughout the city, handing out more cash to people in need.

Kansas City Police are proud to support Secret Santa, and we thank him for how generous he is to those in our community who need help the most, including members of our very own KCPD family. I'm so glad someone is carrying on the work started by the original under-cover St. Nick, the late Larry Stewart. And Secret Santa, we've got a department full of elves ready to assist you.

FBI gives KCPD $420,000 seized from convicted drug dealer

The Kansas City Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation yesterday gave Kansas City Police more than $420,000 seized from a major drug dealer that KCPD investigators helped the FBI arrest and prosecute.

Jacques Lavigne, also known as Frank Moran, pleaded guilty in March 2008 to his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of cocaine from his home on the Country Club Plaza. As part of the plea deal, Lavigne agreed to forfeit to the government any property derived from the proceeds of his offenses, which included more than $500,000 in U.S. currency, jewelry, artwork, and high-end vehicles. Lavigne, age 65, is serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison.

Yesterday, Kansas City FBI Special Agent in Charge Brian Truchon presented us with a check for $421,610 for our role in the investigation and arrest of Lavigne. This money will go into our federal seizure and forfeiture fund, and we have two years to spend it. The usage of these funds is restricted, typically going to pay for grant matches, computers and network systems, technology training, investigation expenses and facility improvements.

None of this would have happened without the dedicated efforts of KCPD’s undercover detectives and the FBI’s special agents. They worked with confidential informants and ultimately intercepted a 10-kilogram cocaine delivery from Florida. A major source of narcotics to the Kansas City area was cut off, thus reducing the flow of violence that comes with illegal drugs like these.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Men shot to death in cars Friday and Saturday identified

At 5:01 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, officers went to 68th Terrace and Myrtle on a reported sound of shots. Upon arrival, they found 19-year-old Rakim Gonzales (pictured bottom) of Kansas City, Mo., dead from apparent gunshot wounds in the driver's seat of a blue Toyota. He was found with a handgun in his hand, and a witness said two other vehicles had fled the scene, and the occupants of the cars had been shooting at one another.

Then at 3:41 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, officers were called to the 5400 block of Bellefontaine to investigate a shooting. They found 22-year-old William L. Payton (pictured top) of Kansas City, Mo., dead in the passenger seat. He had been shot to death. The male driver also had been shot, but his injuries did not appear life-threatening. Officers believe the shooting took place at another location, but the driver is providing few details about what happened.

No suspect is in custody in either case. Police ask anyone with information to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Traffic squad switches to court security

If you've been to Municipal Court lately, you may have noticed a lot more police officers milling around. This story from our monthly Informant newsletter explains why:

Sergeant Ed Mulloy spent the past 11 of his nearly 28 years on the department as a supervisor in Traffic Enforcement. On November 9, his assignment changed, taking him to the Kansas City Municipal Court – a much different responsibility. He and eight officers, all from Traffic Enforcement, are now responsible for courthouse security; the previous responsibility assumed by one armed and several unarmed security guards.

The courthouse sees about 2,000 people come through its doors daily; some for traffic violations and others for more serious offenses. The building houses nine courtrooms with eight in session at any given time. The eight judges working there have requested the aid of the PD for some time, according to Sergeant Mulloy. They and prosecutors alike felt threatened at times and did not feel that the available security offered adequate protection from the potential danger.

Their concerns are understandable when you consider that the only thing between the attorneys and judges and the spectators in each courtroom is a wooden bar. The intimidation factor for those on the other side of that bar is high. And many of those being tried are facing serious charges like aggravated assault and domestic violence.

At the October Board of Police Commissioners meeting, Chief James Corwin explained that the department recently stopped making officers go to all court appearances and only required them to show up at those in which testimony is given. While it saved officers from a lot of down-time, it also meant far fewer of them were in the court at any given time. Chief Corwin said Judges and court staff felt significantly less safe with the dearth of men and women in blue.

Things are different now. Armed police officers patrol the hallways offering peace of mind and providing intervention when a situation warrants it. So far, Sergeant Mulloy says they’ve intervened in a few fights occurring between people exiting a courtroom. They also have arrested some individuals with felony warrants. The response, he says, has been overwhelmingly positive from both the judges and prosecutors alike.

As a long-time traffic officer, the experience has been a change for him.

“This is a whole different world,” he says, “but I like it. The weather is always perfect and the hours are great.”

The court officers also are supplementing the Downtown Footbeat when needed.

Looking for robbery/police shooting suspects

Do you recognize any of the individuals pictured above? On Dec. 7, they robbed the Kentucky Fried Chicken at 420 W. 85th Street and went on to shoot at a police officer in the parking lot of a grocery store at 85th and Wornall. You can read more about the incident here.

If you recognize any of these people, please call the Robbery Unit at 816-234-5230 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Kansas City Police release audits on car crashes, use of grant overtime funds

PRESS RELEASE:

Preventable car crashes cost KCPD more than $362,000 in 2008, internal auditors found, so commanders are recommending all patrol officers and any department member who gets in a preventable crash take driver’s training.

The Department’s Internal Audit Unit today released an audit on preventable car crashes and a follow-up audit on how the department uses overtime money allotted in traffic grants.

The Preventable Vehicular Accident Post-Audit showed KCPD had 149 preventable crashes in 2008 involving 131 police department members, which is an increase of 33 crashes over 2007. The crashes cost the department $362,681, which is $73,000 more than in 2007. Those who have worked at the department for six or fewer years were responsible for 55 percent of crashes. In November 2008, the Police Academy implemented a Driver’s Training Section dedicated to reducing these numbers. As of August 2009, 118 department members and 100 police recruits have gone through the training. After reviewing the audit, police commanders have recommended that all patrol officers take the 32-hour course, as should any other department member who is involved in a preventable car crash.

The Special Operations Division Grant Overtime Post Audit followed up on a January 2007 internal audit that recommended better tracking of hours for federal grant traffic programs that fund specific traffic projects. Those grants are: Hazardous Moving Grant, Multiple Offender Grant, Occupant Protection Grant, Speed Enforcement on I-435 Grant, Speed Enforcement on I-70 Grant, Sobriety Checkpoint Grant and Youth Alcohol Grant. The Post Audit found officers adopted all of the original audit’s recommendations, and they are accurately tracking the hours spent on these projects.

Click here to see the full Preventable Vehicular Audit.
Click here to see the SOD Grant Overtime Post Audit.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.