Gunshot detection success gaining national attention

The success of ShotSpotter technology in Kansas City has gained a little national attention. USA Today highlighted in their "State by State" section our press conference last week and our desire to expand the system into other parts of the city.

ShotSpotter is working, but community engagement is still key

Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and I announced the success achieved with the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system. ShotSpotter went live in Kansas City on Oct. 1, 2012. The system covers 3.5 square miles in the city’s urban core and alerts police to gunfire. You can learn more about how it works here.

Police have been dispatched to 977 shots fired alerts through the system in the last eight months. These have led officers to recover 342 shell casings, 96 live rounds and 13 firearms. They’ve made six felony arrests through ShotSpotter, three of which resulted in federal charges for felons in possession of firearms. And since ShotSpotter’s implementation, aggravated assaults with firearms have decreased by 24.6 percent in the covered areas.

One example of a ShotSpotter success story happened in December 2012. Officers responded to the area where ShotSpotter indicated a gun had been fired. They found a man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Later investigation revealed the victim had been inside a stolen vehicle with another man who had shot him and fled. Police promptly located the vehicle and suspect. They found the firearm used in the shooting inside the car, as well as another stolen gun. The suspect gave a full confession and was charged with aggravated assault and armed criminal action. He was jailed in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

The detectives who worked that case believe that without ShotSpotter, police never would have been contacted. Because of the vehicle theft, they don’t think the victim would have reported being shot. But because of ShotSpotter, a man who tried to kill someone is off the street and being held accountable for his actions.

Another success story comes from an accumulation of gunfire data that ShotSpotter picked up on and KCPD intelligence analysts gathered. The system detected gunshots coming from the same address on multiple occasions. Police were able to use that data to obtain a search warrant for the house. Inside they found two illegally possessed firearms and the drug PCP. They were able to take suspects into custody.

But the real success of the ShotSpotter system isn’t in the statistics. It’s in the relationships it is helping to build. Sadly, hearing frequent gunfire has become a way of life in some neighborhoods. People didn’t report it because they were scared or felt police wouldn’t do anything about it. Now they see that we are doing something about it, and we are here to make their block safe again. When we show up at these shots fired calls now, people come out of their homes to ask us what is going on. They are learning that we will be there and they can talk to us. If police had been better engaged with the community over the years, we wouldn’t need ShotSpotter. We are working to repair that disconnect and engage the public once again.

We are not surprised by the effectiveness of ShotSpotter. The system was placed in the right areas of the city – those where violence had become too common of an occurrence. (We will not reveal where the system is located so we can stay several steps ahead of those who engage in criminal activity.) Given additional funding, we would love to expand the system in other areas.

But technology and police won’t solve everything. It’s up to community members to say they refuse to tolerate violence in their neighborhood.

And as we approach Independence Day, I wanted to let you know the ShotSpotter system can differentiate between fireworks and gunfire. Both are illegal in Kansas City. Police will be responding to these calls on the Fourth of July and every other day. And with ShotSpotter, the gunshot calls that might otherwise have gotten lost in fireworks noise will be clear, and police will respond to them promptly.

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Support police and save lives

The 2013 Annual Battle for Blood began this week, and we need your support to get the trophy back! The battle runs from June 10-15 at all Community Blood Center locations. We will be hosting two separate drives, one at our Headquarters Annex tomorrow from 9-3 and at the Police Academy on Friday so our employees can help with the effort.

Metro firefighters and EMS personnel compete against law enforcement by donating and referring the most donors to give a pint of lifesaving blood.  Each donor is asked to cast a vote for Police or Fire.  These votes are tallied throughout the week and the final count determines the winner of the coveted trophy. Law enforcement was victorious in 2009 but has lost the title to firefighters/EMS since 2010. We need the trophy back! Anyone can donate at the area Community Blood Centers this week and indicate they're doing so on behalf of police (or fire/EMS). 

The Battle for Blood meets a critical need for blood donations in the Kansas City area. Supplies are typically quite low in the summer with lots of regular donors on vacation and since school is out of session, there are no high school blood drives.  The Community Blood Center needs 580 units of blood every single day to meet the demand of area medical centers. The Battle for Blood helps do that. Sign up to donate at http://www.savealifenow.org and check the daily progress at https://www.facebook.com/cbckc?hc_location=timeline. And most importantly, go out and donate blood this week and say you're doing it on behalf of police!

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Hotspot Policing Efforts Trending in the Desired Direction

Forty-one homicides have been committed this year. Until this past weekend, two of the four designated hotspot areas were homicide free so far this year. One hotspot area remains void of homicides. The year-to-date homicide total is at a five-year low (2009 - 50, 2010 - 47, 2011 - 42 and 2012 - 45). While the numbers deserve no premature celebration, they most certainly deserve sharing to communicate the positive decline in the reduction in the total loss of lives in our community.


Within three days of my appointment to Chief on October 13, 2011, I implemented hotspot policing to address violent crime by identifying and apprehending offenders as well as to build relationships in the community.

Violent crime reduction is not solely the role of the police. As I travelled around the neighborhoods over the past few months I felt a sense of community as it relates to relationships between the police and other segments of the public. Initially, opponents of the hotspot policing concept peppered me with questions. Questions centered on the likelihood of success, reassignment of resources that might negatively impact the workload in other critical areas, the lack of buy-in from police officers and questions about how success would be measured. With dedicated and committed police personnel, along with other segments of the community, we are making a positive difference in the lives of all we serve. Dedicated patrol officers, detectives and commanders, in cooperation with other segments of the community, are certainly making a difference. This difference is not solely being measured in numbers, but in relationships built on mutual respect and cooperation.

For years I have monitored the homicide rates in the greater metropolitan area. Certain periods of monitoring have evoked varying degrees of emotions, mostly feelings of sadness for the family and friends of the victims. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the death or the lifestyle of the victim, there has never been a moment when I have believed that a single victim had no value. Let us keep in mind that we all should be concerned about the well being of others because we are all in this together!

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Annual Memorial Service

The Kansas City Missouri Police Department will honor its 119 officers killed in the line of duty throughout the department’s history with a Memorial Service beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 23. Due to renovations at Headquarters, this year’s service will be at a new venue, Kansas City Regional Police Academy’s Sports Field located at 6885 NE Pleasant Valley Rd., Kansas City, MO. We may be in a different place, with a newer and different look, on this year’s day of remembrance, but the sacrifices of those who died serving our community are with us everywhere.

The service will include an honor guard, a 21-gun salute, the KCPD Color Guard, bagpipers, a flyover by the police helicopter, and a riderless horse. Supervisor L.C. Clark will read the names of all KCPD officers killed in the line of duty – the first in 1881 and the last in 2001. There will be 119 flags on display representing each one of these officers. For 119 hours preceding the service, dispatchers read one officer’s name per hour over the police radio system. The last officer’s name, Craig Schultz, will be read immediately before the ceremony begins Thursday.

In the event of rain, the ceremony will take place inside the gymnasium of the Academy.  I encourage everyone to attend the ceremony and for all to keep in mind the sacrifices our officers make to keep our community safe.  Their commitment to excellence is our community’s benefit. 

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Click It or Ticket

Press Release:

Kansas City, Missouri – The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department will begin enforcing the City’s new primary seat belt ordinance today the first day of the two-week nationwide “Click It or Ticket” campaign.  The ordinance passed the City Council in early April and the department has been conducting a public information campaign since then to make citizens aware of the change.  This week, officers will be handing out informational pamphlets to motorists at major intersections around the city and to those that are stopped for traffic violations.

The new primary ordinance will allow police officers to stop a vehicle solely for lack of seat belt use by the driver or any front-seat passenger.  Before, another violation was needed to be able to enforce the secondary ordinance.  The new fine for a seat belt violation is $50.00, up from the previous $10.00.

“This is the perfect time for this new ordinance to go into effect,” said Sgt. Grant Ruark of the Traffic Division.  “We believe this will make a significant difference in our ability to raise the seat belt usage rate in our city.  Our rate of 79% is well below the national average of 86% and with nearly seven out of ten victims of fatality accidents in a passenger vehicle being unbuckled, something had to be done.  We hope that our citizens will buckle up and “Arrive Alive.”

Traffic officers will be conducting overtime enforcement in addition to their regular duties during the “Click It or Ticket” mobilization which ends June 2^nd.

For more information on Missouri seat belt usage, visit www.saveMolives.com

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Cops and Kids Working Together

The Police Athletic League (PAL) is a non-profit organization, staffed by KCPD officers, that offers athletic and academic programs to about 700 urban-core children. The center experienced its most generous year of donations ever, allowing it to upgrade facilities and provide more programs for inner-city youth.

We recently celebrated our Grand Re-Opening of the PAL Center located at 1801 White Avenue on May 1. At the ceremony we were able to showcase the new NFL Chief’s football field with a ribbon cutting, presentation of awards to major donors and honoring the PAL board members. Among those recognized were Curry Real Estate Services, Messengers Lawn and Landscapes, Paul Davis Restoration, United Heating & Cooling, Mark One Electric, The American Fence Association Midwest Chapter and PAL Board Members Nancy Simons, Jim Carr, Larry Washington, Mike Carter, Cindy Mason and Web Bixby.

The donations resulted in a new air conditioner and duct work, partial new roof, landscaping, lighting for new athletic fields, storage sheds and more. More than 50 local businesses supported PAL in 2012 through $750,000 in donations, about a third of those were in-kind. Many came through Christine Lentz of Curry Property Management.

All of the donations have led to a better PAL Center, which is more than 50 years old, and programs that attract more youth. Those youth, in turn, focus their time and energy on something positive to develop critical life and leadership skills instead of becoming involved in criminal activity. The positive relationships they develop can be attributed to both the generous donors and the dedication of the officers involved.

PAL hosted the Upper Room Summer Academic Program for the second year, which helped 180 children come to read at grade level. The program also provides them food, something many don’t get as much of during the summer when schools and their lunch programs are out of session. PAL introduced sewing and gardening programs in 2012 to appeal to more youth, which have drawn great interest. A 7^th/8^th grade football team also took the field for the first time.

This year will be the first time the PAL Center will be a host site for Harvesters, the Community Food Network, which will serve approximately 300 people. I want to thank all those involved in making the PAL Center what it is today. We hope to continue to explore innovative and exciting avenues to keep Cops and Kids Working Together.

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Remaining vigilant in Kansas City

In light of the tragic terrorist attack in Boston, many have asked what we’re doing to ensure security in Kansas City. The answer to that question is, “a lot.” While we have taken additional measures since the Boston bombings, a good deal of what we do is an ongoing and constant vigilance at the local, state and federal level that has been in place for years. This vigilance has led to the disruption of terrorist training and funding going on right here in Kansas City and has been part of every major event we plan for in the community.

In regard to the Boston attack specifically, our Homeland Security Unit and the Kansas City Terrorism Early Warning Center – a regional team of analysts – are searching numerous sources for any indication of if, where and when something may happen, not just in Kansas City proper but across the metropolitan area. They are staying in constant contact with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FBI and other governmental partners to obtain the latest information. We have received no credible threats for our area at this time.

We are constantly preparing for emergency response to natural or manmade incidents. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game was a prime example. About this time last year, we conducted a full-scale exercise with federal, state and local agencies that involved hundreds of players responding to a mock explosion with civilian casualties at Kauffman Stadium. That helped us further refine our emergency operations plan for the All-Star Game as well as our critical incident manual, which is updated regularly. We work with all city agencies at the Emergency Operations Center and exercise our capabilities on at least an annual basis. We have resources like a new fleet of helicopters, a mobile command post and a mobile communications trailer for incident management in Kansas City and throughout the region.

No one should be afraid to carry on with their normal activities. Run the race you planned to. Go to sporting events; enjoy concerts, shopping, dining and more. While it’s important that everyone carry on as normally as possible, we do ask that you remain aware of what’s going on around you. This is the case for regular crime as well as terrorist activities. If you see something suspicious, report it to law enforcement. The KC Terrorism Early Warning Center has some good guidelines on what could constitutes suspicious terrorist activity.

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Mediation Center provides vital service

Do you know what the No. 1 known motive for murder is in Kansas City? It’s not drugs, gangs or domestic violence. It’s arguments. Last year, 22 people were killed because they were involved in a dispute with someone who could not resolve the conflict without violence.

This deadly shortage of conflict resolution and anger management skills can be remedied. We have a great resource locally in the non-profit Community Mediation Center. Our police officers sometimes refer individuals involved in ongoing conflicts to the Center – usually neighbors with issues and landlords/tenants.

The Center’s goal is to give people the skills to deal with conflict at lower levels so it doesn’t escalate into violence. In addition to police, they also get referrals from places like schools, churches, the court and the City’s Aim 4 Peace program.

When the City’s mediation services were cut from the budget four years ago, the Community Mediation Center picked up the slack. They served 5,942 people in 2012, 61 percent of whom were from Kansas City, Mo. They do a lot of valuable work in this community without a lot of resources, so I’d encourage those who are interested to consider volunteering or supporting them in other ways. More information about how to do so is on their web site.

The Center also provides training to everyone from students to business professionals. I even plan to take their interpersonal conflict resolution training to make me more effective at my job.

Many people have called for ways to reduce violence in our city. Giving people the tools to resolve conflict is a major one that doesn’t get the attention it should. I’m glad organizations like the Community Mediation Center are there to step in the gap.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

Our department's new mission statement

We recently updated our department’s mission statement, and I wanted to share it with you and explain the change. This is the new statement:

To protect and serve with professionalism, honor and integrity.

Simply put, the mission statement is why we exist. It is a summary of what our daily practices should reflect as well as serve as a reminder of why we have chosen a career in law enforcement. Clarity and brevity are crucial components of the mission statement. However, of most importance is adherence to what the statement says.

We must consistently exhibit a servant-based attitude – an eagerness to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Our department members also must continue to develop so we can contribute to reducing crime in Kansas City.

Our purpose must be clearly understood by all department members and communicated to other segments of the community, and I hope this new statement does that.

We are proud and honored to serve such an engaged community. Your continued support is needed and truly appreciated.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.