Governor thanks KC-area public safety workers and volunteers for work in Joplin

Governor Jay Nixon stopped by Kansas City today to thank the public safety agencies, faith-based groups and other volunteers who have assisted in the efforts to help Joplin, Mo., recover from its horrible May 22 tornado. Dozens of our officers, Kansas City firefighters, police, fire and emergency medical workers from metro-area agencies and search-and-rescue canine teams were on hand. A few of our officers who went are pictured above.

As Governor Nixon said, "The tornado that hit Joplin had barely left when Kansas City's first responders were on the road."

Kansas City Police joined more than 400 other public safety organizations in this effort.

Governor Nixon said, "They ran toward danger, not away from it."

We realize KCPD's work in Joplin is just a small part of the recovery effort there, and we are humbled by the 29,000 volunteers who have served in that community so far. That's a truly astounding number of people who care about their neighbors, no matter how near or far they may be.

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Thanks for your service, Doc

John "Doc" McCalla started serving as an auxiliary volunteer for the Kansas City Missouri Police Department more than 23 years ago, after he'd retired from his career as a physician. Today, he "retired" again at the place he's worked so hard for so many years, the Metro Patrol Division. His ceremony today comes just a few days after Doc's 86th birthday.

Doc came to KCPD by being involved in his neighborhood's crime prevention group in the early 1980s. He worked with police a lot during that time and decided to join our team. Without pay, he spent years disseminating crime statistics to neighborhoods, attending community group meetings on behalf of KCPD, stuffing envelopes and mailing information, and recruiting some new employees. Once, he even saved the life of a woman who collapsed in the old Metro Patrol Division's parking lot. He also served for years on the board of the Missouri Crime Prevention Association and has been a huge help to Metro Patrol's Community Interaction Officer.

Thanks, Doc, for your selfless service to the Kansas City Police Department and the people of this community.

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Update on employee struck at DUI checkpoint

You may have heard that on early Saturday morning, one of our civilian employees was struck and seriously hurt at a DUI checkpoint. I wanted to give you an update on how he's doing and say that we're still looking for the suspect, so if you have any information, please call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

The checkpoint was set up in the 7600 block of Troost with KCPD and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. About 2:18 a.m. June 11, an officer contacted the occupant of a dark-colored Dodge car and asked to see his license. The suspect immediately accelerated, pulled out of line and struck one of our Fleet Operations Unit technicians. Fleet techs assist at DUI checkpoints by keeping the Mobile DUI Enforcement Center and prisoner buses up and running by maintaining equipment like generators. They also help by parking the cars of DUI suspects.

After being hit, the Fleet Ops technician, a man in his mid-30s, clung to the hood of the car until he was thrown off about six blocks later in the 8200 block of Troost. He suffered serious injuries to his leg and is undergoing surgery, but is doing very well considering the circumstances.

Police fired shots at the fleeing car and attempted to pursue it, but it eluded them. They do not know if any suspect was hit.

Just before 10 a.m. Saturday, police found a vehicle abandoned in the 200 block of W. Bannister. They believe it was the car that assaulted the KCPD employee at the DUI checkpoint.

We are continuing to investigate this case, and the Fleet Operations Technician is continuing to recover. We are very thankful that he could be out of the hospital as early as this week. Please call 816-474-TIPS (8477) if you have any information about this incident.

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Amber Alert: 4-month old John Michael Glorioso

UPDATE, 1:40 p.m.: The suspect now is in police custody, and the Operation 100 has ended.

UPDATE, 6:15 a.m.: The child has been located safe at a home near 51st and N. Corrington. Police believe the suspect is in a home in the 5000 block of N. Crystal and is refusing to exit. Police have initiated an Operation 100 there.

John Michael Glorioso

Suspect: Eric D. Yeager

At approximately 2:14 a.m. today, officers were called to 3635 Sunrise Dr. on a cutting.

Upon arrival, officers contacted the victim who was suffering from a severe knife wound to the neck. The victim was able to relay that the suspect is her boyfriend who lives with her, her parents and their 4 month old son. After her boyfriend attacked her, he took their 4-month-old son, stole the victim's mother's vehicle and fled.

The AMBER ALERT is being issued for the 4-month-old son, John Michael Glorioso, a white male, born 2/1/2011. He has brown hair, brown eyes and is wearing a lime green "Tigger" (as in Winnie the Pooh) pajamas.

The suspect is Eric D. Yeager, white male, 9/25/1986, he is 5'9", 150 lbs. Yeager may be driving a white, 2002, Honda CRV, Missouri License # MC4-Z7M.
Anyone with information is to call 911 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

Foot Patrol Project puts new officers on the streets

You already may have heard about our Foot Patrol Project that begins in August. Check out the below article and map from our latest Informant newsletter to learn how the new officers feel about taking on this task and how it's going to be scientifically studied to see whether it impacts quality of life in high-crime neighborhoods.

The Kansas City Police Department will drop 17 brand new officers on foot into the city’s most crime-ridden areas in a throw-back experiment to improve the quality of life in those neighborhoods.

The probationary officers will start the Foot Patrol Project in the beginning of August and will be assigned in pairs for 90 days to patrol two areas in Central Patrol Division and two in East Patrol Division – the divisions in which 87 percent of Kansas City’s crime takes place. The program is based on one developed by the Philadelphia, Pa., Police Department, which reduced crime in targeted areas there by 23 percent.

“My hope is we can connect to the community in a sincere way,” Probationary Officer Erin Butler said. “The ‘bad guys’ aren’t going to stop their lucrative crime because we say so. They will stop when the environment they thrive in, like these areas, refuses to tolerate them instead of being fearful of them. I hope we can empower the good people to fight back.”

KCPD chose the areas for the project by analyzing several factors, including the number of violent and property crimes, fear of crime and accessibility. The four areas selected are small – comprising 15 intersections that are approximately 1.3 to 1.5 roadway miles. Dr. Ken Novack, Chair of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, used KCPD’s data to select four control areas, as well, to determine how much difference the project will make. The control areas are unknown to the police department.

“We’re not just doing a study,” Major Roger Lewis said. “We want to improve the quality of life for the common, decent people in those areas.”

Kansas City’s probationary officers got to meet two Philadelphia officers and a Philadelphia deputy police commissioner to discuss the program with them. One officer told them the project made him a better cop. The Philadelphia officers also told KCPD’s new officers they should prepare to walk six to seven miles a day and go through several pairs of shoes.

“Say ‘hi’ to everyone,” Philadelphia Officer Timothy Hegarty advised. “It costs nothing.”

The Board of Police Commissioners expressed concern about sending two rookie officers into such dangerous areas. But the young officers say they are ready.

“We received the best training we could at the Academy,” Probationary Officer John King said.


Probationary Officer Butler said the assignment is a little daunting, but she said her inexperience will make her more vigilant.

“I do think as new cops it will be important to respect the dangers but embrace each learning experience,” she said.

Deputy Chief Cy Ritter said the project not only will determine whether heavy foot patrols reduce crime but whether they will improve community relationships. Major Lewis also said it will be interesting to see if the project will create more skilled police.

“Five years down the road, is this cohort of officers going to be better officers?” he asked.

The Foot Patrol Project will end Nov. 1, but commanders said they hope to continue it in the future, either with future Academy classes or existing officers.

“At the end of the 90 days, there should be a decent law-abiding citizen they don’t know on a first-name basis and sat on their front porch and had iced tea with,” Major Lewis said. “Conversely, there shouldn’t be a bad guy who doesn’t know these officers on sight and dreads seeing them around the corner.”

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Officers' experience in Joplin

KCPD has been deploying officers to Joplin, Mo., since May 23, the day after an EF-5 tornado destroyed much of the city 150 miles to our south. The video below shows what some of our officers have experienced there. One thing nearly all of them comment on is how kind Joplin residents have been to them and how grateful they are for our presence there.

Kansas City at forefront of "Start by Believing" campaign

Kansas City is leading the way in a national campaign to stop sexual violence. End Violence Against Women International launched the "Start by Believing" campaign in late April, and Kansas City is the first city in the country to launch a billboard campaign. KCPD Sex Crimes Detective Catherine Johnson, a member of End Violence Against Women, was able to partner with Lamar Advertising on a billboard campaign that put the Start by Believing message on 17 electronic billboards around the city starting in early May. (The above billboard is on Interstate 35, just before Armour in North Kansas City.) We really appreciate Lamar's generosity in this effort. Detective Johnson is now working with billboard advertisers in New York City, St. Louis and other cities to get the message out across the country.

We also have Start by Believing posters in all our patrol stations and in our Sex Crimes Section, and Special Victims Unit Captain Mark Folsom presented about the campaign to the International Association of Chiefs of Police's Leadership Institute for Violence Against Women.

What does "Start by Believing" mean in terms of ending sexual violence? This is how End Violence Against Women puts it:

"There is no shame when your loved one dies. When your car is stolen. When you’re diagnosed with cancer. Friends and loved ones gather around you for support. They don’t blame you for 'bringing it on yourself.'

"It should be the same with sexual violence. But all too often, survivors who have the courage to tell someone what happened are blamed for bringing it on themselves. This needs to change.

"Start by Believing is a public awareness campaign designed to change the way we respond to rape and sexual assault in our communities."

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KCPD detective named International Interdiction Detective of the Year

Unfortunately, I can’t show you the face of Detective Tony Garcia, who has been named the International Narcotics Interdiction Association Detective of the Year. This makes Detective Garcia the best interdiction detective in the United States. Our Drug Interdiction Section is charged with stopping the transportation of drugs (usually large quantities) in Kansas City.

What I can show you is Detective Garcia’s canine partner, Franz, who is pictured above with 8 pounds of cocaine the pair recovered last week from a passenger train. Franz joined Detective Garcia in 2006, but even before that, Garcia had an impressive record. Below is what Detective Garcia has recovered in the past year and since he joined the Interdiction Section in 2002:

                  April 2010-11     2002-2011
Marijuana     422.5 lbs.          4,761 lbs.

Cocaine         29.5 lbs.           101 lbs.

Hashish           2.0 lbs.             2 lbs.  

PCP               2 gallons          5 gallons

Meth              ---                    19.7 pounds

Khat               2 lbs.              34 lbs.
U.S. currency    $703,481          $2,073,466

 A big congratulations to Detective Garcia (and Franz), and more proof that the best law enforcement officers in the nation work right here at the Kansas City Missouri Police Department.

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Our deepest condolences on the loss of Riverside Police Officer Jeff Taylor

The entire KCPD family and I send our deepest condolences to the family, friends and coworkers of Officer Jeff Taylor of the Riverside, Missouri, Police Department. Officer Taylor had volunteered to assist in tornado-ravaged Joplin, Mo., when he was struck by lightning on May 23 near the operation’s command post. He passed away today at age 31 in Springfield, Mo.

This is tragic in so many ways. To lose any officer in the line of duty is crushing, but to lose one who selflessly volunteered to assist in a disaster 150 miles away is devastating. Officer Taylor is the only emergency responder to pass away as a result of the May 22 Joplin tornado and is the first officer ever to die in the line of duty with the Riverside Police Department.

As Riverside Mayor Kathy Rose said, “He died upholding a tradition of our community and many communities like ours to serve and protect, and to help neighbors in need.”

I think of our own officers who tirelessly have been working in Joplin and am sobered by the fact it could have been any one of them. I am thankful every day for their safety.

The Kansas City Police Department enjoys excellent partnerships with our neighboring law enforcement agencies, including Riverside. They always are eager to assist us, and vice versa. Several of our officers knew and worked with Jeff, and they are terribly saddened by his loss. We will assist our police brothers and sisters in Riverside in any way we can during this difficult time.

If you would like to support Officer Taylor’s loved ones at this time, you can send a card or message to:

Taylor Family
City of Riverside Police Department
2990 NW Vivion Road
Riverside, MO 64150


I also encourage you to donate to a fund set up in honor of Officer Taylor to assist his family with expenses:

Taylor Benefit Account
K.C. Police Credit Union
2800 E. 14th Street
Kansas City, MO 64127
www.kcpcu.org  

Narcotics and Vice Quarterly features important information about readily available drugs

The latest issue of the Narcotics and Vice Quarterly newsletter is now available, and it's got some great information about "bath salts," which are not at all for use in the tub. They're a dangerous mixture of drugs that are extremely similar in their chemical make-up to drugs like cocaine, ecstasy and methcathinone. Local police have seen several overdoses on bath salts, as well as a possible suicide triggered by the extreme paranoia it causes.

The newsletter also includes a story about how restricting a popular cold medicine could do a lot to reduce methamphetamine production. In addition, check out a profile of our Gang Squad and the latest statistics on drugs and guns recovered by the Narcotics and Vice Division.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.