Meeting on youth issues brings stakeholders to the table

If there’s anything today’s meeting of youth advocates taught me, it’s that we have some really smart young adults in this town. When they heard the police were going to facilitate a meeting for youth advocates, four Central High School students called my office last week and said they’d like to come. They told me they’d done a problem-solving exercise at school in which they identified problems facing Kansas City’s youth and brainstormed solutions. I asked to see their presentation, and I was blown away by what they had to say. They were spot-on on several accounts, so I invited them to speak at today’s meeting at Police Headquarters and give their presentation to the larger group.

A little over a week ago, we realized the need to get all the people who advocate and provide services for youth in our city into one place. I approached it much like I did the city’s homelessness issue a few years back. We discovered there were dozens of groups in Kansas City who served the homeless, but they were working separately for the most part. We realized we could do so much more together, so we started a Homelessness Task Force that brought dozens of people to the table who work with the homeless every day in some way or another, including police, hospital staff, shelter leaders and social workers. This group has now morphed into an official City task force and is working to draft policies that we hope will someday eliminate homelessness in Kansas City.

I want to model the process for finding solutions to youth issues after this process. That’s what today was all about: bringing together the people who can identify and solve the problems facing today’s teens and having them work cooperatively. The four students from Central High School were not originally on yesterday’s agenda, but when they called me and explained their message, I knew they were a Godsend that had to be part of this process. Several of the teens at today’s meeting said they hadn’t heard of many of the youth programs represented, and we hope we can change that by bringing them together.

These youth advocacy meetings will continue but will no longer be facilitated by police. With our Police Athletic League and DARE programs we’re a natural partner, but the City is taking the lead from here on out. Thalia Cherry, youth advocate in the City Manager’s Office, is organizing a public focus group at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 22, in the College Basketball Experience at 13th and Grand downtown. City Council Members Cindy Circo and Sharon Sanders-Brooks are drafting a Youth Master Plan for Kansas City. This momentum is very exciting, and I’m looking forward to what can be achieved when those who are passionate about helping kids all come together.

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Man shot early Sunday morning dies

A man shot at 12:33 a.m. Sunday in the 5800 block of Olive has died. He has been identified as 21-year-old Emmanuel Menifield of Kansas City, Mo.

Officers were called to investigate a shooting early Sunday and found five victims outside a home in the 5800 block of Olive. Menifield was one of two victims (males in their 20s) who had life-threatening injuries and were transported to an area hospital for treatment. A 13-year-old boy was transported to an area hospital for treatment of a non-life threatening gunshot injury. The other two victims (a male and female in their 20's) refused treatment at the scene for minor gun shot wounds.
Officers were told a car drove by as the victims were standing around a car parked in the street and fired numerous gunshots at them. The car sped away after the shooting. A vehicle description is not being released at this time.

No suspects are in custody, and detectives ask anyone with information to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

KCPD shines spotlight on sexual assault awareness in ribbon campaign

PRESS RELEASE:

The Kansas City Police Department is joining 32 other area law enforcement agencies and the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) to put a spotlight on sexual assault awareness April 19-23.

Officers from the agencies listed below will tie teal ribbons to the spotlights of their patrol cars April 19-23 as part of the Spotlight on Sexual Assault Ribbon Campaign to show support for the victims of sexual violence. The campaign kicked off at 1 p.m. April 19 with a press conference featuring vehicles and representatives from participating law enforcement agencies and commanders of the sex crimes units of the Kansas City Missouri and Overland Park Police Departmentsat the Kansas City Regional Police Academy.

The Ribbon Campaign highlights law enforcement’s commitment to ending sexual violence in the community, in partnership with MOCSA. It’s part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a time that recognizes and empowers victims of sexual assault.

Kansas City, Mo., saw an 11 percent increase in reported forcible rapes from 2008 to 2009 but a slight decrease in all other sex crimes.

“We’re pleased to join with other law enforcement agencies throughout the Kansas City area to deliver the message that sex crimes will not be tolerated, and we will do everything we can to bring the perpetrators to justice and bring support to the victims,” said Captain Mark Folsom, Commander of KCPD’s Special Victims Unit.

The participating agencies include:

From Missouri:
Belton Police Dept.
Cass County Sheriff's Dept.
Clay County Park Rangers
Gladston Public Safety
Grain Valley Police Dept.
Independence Police Dept.
Jackson County Sheriff's Dept.
Kansas City Missouri Police Dept.
Oak Grove Police Dept.
Parkville Police Dept.
Peculiar Police Dept.
Platte City Police Dept.
Platte County Sheriff's Office
Pleasant Hill Police Dept.
Raymore Police Dept.
Raytown Police Dept.
Riverside Dept. of Public Safety
Sugar Creek Police Dept.
Tracy Police Dept.
University of Missouri-Kansas City Police Dept.

From Kansas:
Fairway Police Dept.
Gardner Public Safety Dept.
Johnson County Sheriff's Office
Kansas City Kansas Police Dept.
KU Medical Center Campus Police
Lenexa Police Dept.
Olathe Police Dept.
Osawatamie Police Dept.
Overland Park Police Dept.
Paola Police Dept.
Prairie Village Police Dept.
Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office

From Philadelphia to Kansas City, police cope with "flash mob"-type gatherings

If you read this New York Times article, you’ll see something that took place a few weeks ago in Philadelphia that sounds very much like what happened on the Country Club Plaza here last weekend. Large groups of kids converged on venerable areas of the city through texting and social media and turned into an unruly mob that damaged property, intimidated shoppers and diners and broke out into numerous fights. The same issues also came up in Philly that have here – finding something else for the kids to do, racial tension and parental responsibility.

Coincidentally, the annual Police Executive Research Forum's Annual Meeting is taking place in Philadelphia right now, and the leader of KCPD’s Patrol Bureau – Deputy Chief Cy Ritter – is there. He told me about a town hall meeting at the conference this morning in which Philadelphia Police talked about the “flash mob” problems they’re having and commended Kansas City Police for how quickly we’re taking action here.

Philadelphia’s Deputy Commissioner Kevin Bethel said he found this report of last weekend’s Plaza incident that I posted on my blog. Several police leaders at the conference said they were surprised I posted such a report for everyone to see, but transparency is one of our critical values, and I think it was important to objectively document the events of that night and the police response to them. Deputy Chief Ritter then presented a bit more about how our department handled the situation and what we plan to do in the future. Deputy Commissioner Bethel praised how quickly KCPD responded to and documented the event. He added that the only thing he would do differently would be to document the events on video, which Philadelphia is now doing.

Fortunately, that was already in our plans for the Plaza this weekend. Much like we do at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, big college basketball tournaments and other events with lots of people, we’re going to set up cameras on the Plaza this weekend and monitor them from a remote location to better track trouble spots and deploy officers to those areas. But if the crowds decide to skip the Plaza this weekend and congregate elsewhere in the city to cause disorder, we’ll move there, too. Our mobile response is ready.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey also made another good point at this morning’s town hall meeting: It is not the job of police to find something for teens do for entertainment. He said that’s up to the community. The job of police is pretty well encapsulated in our department’s mission statement: “… To protect life and property while reducing fear and disorder.” If a lot of juveniles gather in the city somewhere this weekend and are civil and law-abiding, police intervention won’t be necessary. But we’re ready in the event that’s not the case.

It was heartening to hear the leaders of the nation’s fourth-largest police department praising how we handled things and saying KCPD was “ahead of the curve” in front of nearly 300 other law enforcement leaders from around the U.S., Canada and Europe. But what matters most is how safe people here in Kansas City feel, and they can take comfort knowing that their police department is innovatively and effectively addressing any issue that may compromise that safety.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Police host 5th Annual Broadway Bridge Run on Sunday

PRESS RELEASE:

The Broadway Bridge and nearby roads will close the morning of Sunday, April 18, to make way for officers and community members running to raise money for Special Olympics Missouri.

The Fifth Annual Broadway Bridge Run/Walk aims to have 1,000 runners and walkers. In 2009, about 700 runners raised nearly $30,000 for area athletes with intellectual disabilities. The Kansas City Missouri Police Department hosts the run.

Registration will begin at 8 a.m. April 18 at Market Park at 3rd and Main Streets in the City Market. The races will begin at 9 a.m. The event features a 10K run, 5K run/walk and Family Fun Run. The run starts at the City Market, goes across the Broadway Bridge, winds around the Downtown Airport and back again.

Plenty of entertainment will be available for non-runners, as well. Radio Disney will be live on site, and numerous music acts will perform on the main stage. KCPD will have McGruff the Crime Dog as well as the department’s Helicopter, Mounted Patrol, Canine and Tactical Units in the City Market. Great prizes also will be up for grabs in a silent auction.

To register for the race, go online to www.somo.org/broadwaybridgerun.

The following road closures are scheduled Sunday from about 8:30 to 11 a.m. to accommodate the Broadway Bridge Run:

• 169 Highway, both directions including the Broadway Bridge, from 9 Highway to 5th Street
• 9 Highway southbound entrance ramp to 169 southbound

Patrons to the Downtown Airport will be allowed in and provided a police escort to ensure the safety of the runners. Officers will be positioned at the following locations to provide the escorts to the Airport:
- 169 southbound at 9 Highway
- 9 Highway southbound at the 169 southbound entrance ramp
- 6th and Broadway

Man killed in fight Tuesday night identified

At 8:12 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, police were called to a residence in the 8800 block of Evanston Way in regard to a disturbance. Upon arrival, they located a man in the driveway with no signs of life. He was pronounced dead a short time later. He has been identified as 58-year-old Billy J. Webb, a black male from Kansas City, Mo.

Witnesses say the victim was involved in a physical altercation with an unknown black male before he collapsed. The black male suspect fled northbound in an unknown vehicle. The cause of death is not being released. Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Police ask parents to help

PRESS RELEASE:

After recent events of large congregations of unruly juveniles, Kansas City Police want to remind parents about local laws and tips for ensuring your child doesn’t get caught up in illegal activity.

Laws
• Curfew for children under the age of 18 is Midnight to 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.

• If there is a curfew violation, the juvenile will be detained, and a parent or guardian must respond to pick them up, and the parent will be issued a citation.

Tips
• Know your child’s social network. Monitor their Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or other social media accounts and watch what they’re texting.

• Parents should be aware of a new trend called “Flash Mobs.” This is when a large group gathers quickly – usually through the use of social media. Sometimes it can be for something fun like a choreographed public dance, but more recently, it has been for the purpose of causing chaos by stampeding, assaulting bystanders, and damaging property. This can be a very dangerous event and a public safety issue for young persons.

• When dropping your child off, it is your responsibility to know where they are going and what they are doing.

Kansas City Police will have a large presence on the Country Club Plaza this weekend and will strictly enforce all municipal and state laws. The police response will be mobile in case an unruly crowd congregates elsewhere in the city.

If you hear of a group organizing an event that could get out of hand, please call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Thanking the behind-the-scenes life-savers

I often write about the heroics of our officers, but there’s another group of people who deserve recognition for daily saving lives in Kansas City: 911 calltakers and dispatchers. Without these dedicated individuals, police, firefighters and paramedics would never get to where they need to be to help people.

This is National Telecommunicator Appreciation Week, and our department is celebrating it today. It was by sheer coincidence, however, that today also was the day I heard a report from our Logistical Support Division commander on the performance of our calltakers and dispatchers. What I heard made me even more grateful for the work these men and women do.

First, our Communications Unit is down by 14 people, and due to budget restrictions, we have been unable to hire more. We are requiring all calltakers and dispatchers to work mandatory overtime. This is a strain on them and their families, and everyone in Kansas City should be grateful for their sacrifices. They have been short-staffed for more than a year and yet still did something amazing.

In 2007, 45.5 percent of all 911 callers in Kansas City got put on hold. Their average hold time was 48 seconds. And though the numbers of calltakers and dispatchers dwindled, by the end of 2009, just 23.2 percent of 911 callers were put on hold, and only for an average of 22.8 seconds. This reduction was achieved through a number of quality assurance measures.

Speaking of which, most people don’t know the quality assurance measures our department takes in terms of 911 calls. We have staff dedicated to listening to them to review the performance of calltakers and dispatchers. They dissect these calls to determine whether the calltakers and dispatchers are conforming to policy and meeting very high standards. I learned today that 14 members of our Communications Unit earned perfect scores throughout all of 2009. That is a remarkably hard thing to achieve, and I’m so proud of them.

So take some time today to thank the 911 calltakers and dispatchers who are the backbone of Kansas City’s public safety. Send a message to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org and I’ll be sure to pass it on to those dedicated men and women.

Victim shot, killed at 43rd & Forest identified

At about 8:38 p.m. Monday, April 12, officers were called to the 4300 block of Forest to investigate several calls about shots being fired. As the officers approached the area, they saw several muzzle flashes from gunfire near two houses on the east side of Forest. The officers found a white car with a man inside. He had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene. He has been identified as 41-year-old Richard Franks Jr. of Kansas City, Mo. Two other men were inside the car with Franks, and police also found several guns in the vehicle. 

While the officers were investigating the scene, residents of a third house on the west side of the street became confrontational with the officers. Believing the area was potentially unsafe for investigators to conduct an appropriate investigation, tactical officers were called in to remove the occupants of the three homes so investigators could process the homicide scene.  Several people were taken into custody, and detectives were able to move in and process the scene at around midnight.

Police questioned the men in the car with Franks and are working to determine how or if those in the three houses might be involved. There are no suspects in custody, and anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Plaza incident

As you’ve probably heard, large crowds of juveniles converged on the Country Club Plaza on Saturday night and wreaked havoc throughout. They intimidated shoppers and diners, destroyed property, committed a strong-arm robbery, and a juvenile suffered severe head injuries in an aggravated assault. Police took control of the crowds using traffic crews to close streets, pepper spray to disperse the crowds and a helicopter overhead to help officers on the ground find the most troublesome areas.

We will be taking a number of measures to ensure those who shop, visit, dine at and stroll around Kansas City’s historic Plaza area can do so without fear. We will be meeting with the Plaza Merchant’s Association, NAACP and others to put together the best possible plan to allow Plaza patrons to fully enjoy themselves while keeping disorder at bay. We plan strict enforcement this weekend and for future weekends, and it will be mobile in case problems arise elsewhere.

We will be closely following the development of any similar events. If you hear of a group planning to organize something like this, please call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. You will remain anonymous, and you could save someone’s life. As I mentioned, one young man was seriously hurt in Saturday night’s incident.

A brief description of what took place:

Due to larger crowds of juveniles there the previous (Easter) weekend, we put an extra 18 officers and three sergeants to patrol the Plaza this past weekend. The activity began when about 200-300 juveniles exited the Cinemark theater and began to move east. More juveniles joined them, though officers said most did not drive. They were either dropped off by parents or arrived by bus. Not until after the incident did police learn the gathering may have been planned on social media sites. Police believe there were about 700 total juveniles involved, ages 11 to 17.

Here is a full report on incidents that happened that night.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org