Officers were dispatched to 20th and Kensington on a reported shooting at 4:43 p.m. Monday, June 29. Upon arrival, officers found a man lying in the street with an apparent gunshot wound. Paramedics were unable to revive him.
The homicide victim has been positively identified as 24-year-old Anthony Barnett, a white male, of Kansas City, Mo. There are no suspects in custody and detectives ask anyone with information to call the TIPS Hotline at 816.474.8477.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Why we do sobriety checkpoints
Through May of this year, 79 percent of those killed in Kansas City’s fatality traffic accidents have involved people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. We are still awaiting toxicology reports on several of the June deaths to determine whether alcohol or drugs were involved in those. And if trends follow last year’s, July will have a higher fatality crash rate than any other month of the year.
Despite this, we continue to hear complaints that sobriety checkpoints are a waste of department resources. In advance of a holiday weekend that will feature one, I wanted to clarify some points about our sobriety checkpoint program.
First, these checkpoints are funded exclusively by grants, not by any city dollars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) allocates money to each state for traffic safety programs. In Missouri, that money goes to the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Division, which in turn divvies it up to law enforcement agencies around the state specifically for the purpose of conducting DUI checkpoints. KCPD has received grants for 20 DUI checkpoints this year, compared to 14 last year. The rules of these grants stipulate we cannot use this money any other way.
The federal and state governments are so confident in the need for sobriety checkpoints that they not only pay for the overtime of a minimum of 10 officers at each checkpoint, they also provide the police department equipment to use.
Second, checkpoints serve three primary purposes: deterrence, education and arrest. The arrest is really the least of these goals. If people know there is a chance they could be stopped in a sobriety checkpoint, they will be deterred from driving intoxicated. Checkpoints are a very public way to remind drivers to avoid unlawful behavior. Those driving by one person pulled over by an officer don’t know what that person was pulled over for and give little thought to what impact that person’s infraction has on their own actions. But those driving by or through a DUI checkpoint know exactly what’s going on and may be more likely to drive responsibly in the future. This deterrent effect is the primary reason for these checkpoints. Honestly, police would prefer not to arrest anyone for DUI because they want everyone to be driving sober.
So far this year, 79 percent of Kansas City’s traffic deaths have been DUI-related. As a police department, we would be remiss to ignore this problem.
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
Despite this, we continue to hear complaints that sobriety checkpoints are a waste of department resources. In advance of a holiday weekend that will feature one, I wanted to clarify some points about our sobriety checkpoint program.
First, these checkpoints are funded exclusively by grants, not by any city dollars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) allocates money to each state for traffic safety programs. In Missouri, that money goes to the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Division, which in turn divvies it up to law enforcement agencies around the state specifically for the purpose of conducting DUI checkpoints. KCPD has received grants for 20 DUI checkpoints this year, compared to 14 last year. The rules of these grants stipulate we cannot use this money any other way.
The federal and state governments are so confident in the need for sobriety checkpoints that they not only pay for the overtime of a minimum of 10 officers at each checkpoint, they also provide the police department equipment to use.
Second, checkpoints serve three primary purposes: deterrence, education and arrest. The arrest is really the least of these goals. If people know there is a chance they could be stopped in a sobriety checkpoint, they will be deterred from driving intoxicated. Checkpoints are a very public way to remind drivers to avoid unlawful behavior. Those driving by one person pulled over by an officer don’t know what that person was pulled over for and give little thought to what impact that person’s infraction has on their own actions. But those driving by or through a DUI checkpoint know exactly what’s going on and may be more likely to drive responsibly in the future. This deterrent effect is the primary reason for these checkpoints. Honestly, police would prefer not to arrest anyone for DUI because they want everyone to be driving sober.
So far this year, 79 percent of Kansas City’s traffic deaths have been DUI-related. As a police department, we would be remiss to ignore this problem.
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
Monday, June 29, 2009
Police win Battle for Blood!
For the second year in a row, Police came from behind to claim victory in the annual Battle for Blood drive for Community Blood Center. Metro-area Police registered 729 blood donors to Fire's 602. Police had lagged behind all week but made up a lot of ground on Friday, June 26. The real winners, of course, are the people in the Kansas City area who need life-giving blood transfusions.
The Battle for Blood may be over, but the Community Blood Center still needs blood donations. This year's drive brought in 450 fewer registered blood donors than last year, and summer is a time of critical need for the Community Blood Center. So if you haven't already, please donate, and you could save a life! If you did donate, you're eligible to donate again in as little as eight weeks.
Go to www.savealifenow.org for more information or to schedule an appointment to donate blood.
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
The Battle for Blood may be over, but the Community Blood Center still needs blood donations. This year's drive brought in 450 fewer registered blood donors than last year, and summer is a time of critical need for the Community Blood Center. So if you haven't already, please donate, and you could save a life! If you did donate, you're eligible to donate again in as little as eight weeks.
Go to www.savealifenow.org for more information or to schedule an appointment to donate blood.
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
Friday, June 26, 2009
Conference explores crime-free solutions for rental property starting Monday
PRESS RELEASE:
Law enforcement officers and rental property managers from across the country and the world will converge on Kansas City on Monday to learn better ways to protect tenants from a variety of dangers.
The 11th Annual International Crime Free conference will make its first visit to Kansas City on June 29 and run through July 1 at Bartle Hall. The Kansas City Missouri Police Department has been working to bring the conference here for the past two years. In years past, approximately 300 attendees have come from across the United States as well as Canada, Mexico, Nigeria and the Philippines.
The Crime Free Programs are innovative, law enforcement-based crime prevention solutions designed to help keep illegal activity off rental property. In Kansas City, Crime Free programs are offered for apartment complexes and hotels and motels. They focus on screening potential tenants, knowing the signs of criminal activity and security through environmental design. Each of KCPD’s six patrol divisions has officers assigned specifically to Crime Free programs.
This year’s conference will feature such speakers as U.S. Attorney Matt Whitworth of the Western District of Missouri, KCPD Deputy Chief Cy Ritter, comedian David Naster and Kansas City news radio veteran Dan Verbeck. The event is funded by the non-profit Mid-America Crime-Free Inc. organization.
Attendees can choose from dozens of break-out sessions that affect rental property, including: how to make self-storage units and mobile home parks crime-free, how to identify marijuana-growing and meth-making operations. Other classes include domestic violence issues, safe and environmentally friendly property lighting, conflict resolution, identifying gang and human trafficking activities, welfare fraud, warrant sweeps, self defense for property managers, and disaster preparedness.
The conference begins at 8 a.m. each day and wraps up at 4:45 p.m.
send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
Law enforcement officers and rental property managers from across the country and the world will converge on Kansas City on Monday to learn better ways to protect tenants from a variety of dangers.
The 11th Annual International Crime Free conference will make its first visit to Kansas City on June 29 and run through July 1 at Bartle Hall. The Kansas City Missouri Police Department has been working to bring the conference here for the past two years. In years past, approximately 300 attendees have come from across the United States as well as Canada, Mexico, Nigeria and the Philippines.
The Crime Free Programs are innovative, law enforcement-based crime prevention solutions designed to help keep illegal activity off rental property. In Kansas City, Crime Free programs are offered for apartment complexes and hotels and motels. They focus on screening potential tenants, knowing the signs of criminal activity and security through environmental design. Each of KCPD’s six patrol divisions has officers assigned specifically to Crime Free programs.
This year’s conference will feature such speakers as U.S. Attorney Matt Whitworth of the Western District of Missouri, KCPD Deputy Chief Cy Ritter, comedian David Naster and Kansas City news radio veteran Dan Verbeck. The event is funded by the non-profit Mid-America Crime-Free Inc. organization.
Attendees can choose from dozens of break-out sessions that affect rental property, including: how to make self-storage units and mobile home parks crime-free, how to identify marijuana-growing and meth-making operations. Other classes include domestic violence issues, safe and environmentally friendly property lighting, conflict resolution, identifying gang and human trafficking activities, welfare fraud, warrant sweeps, self defense for property managers, and disaster preparedness.
The conference begins at 8 a.m. each day and wraps up at 4:45 p.m.
send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Red light cameras and police limitations
From the outset of the Red Light Camera Program, my stance has been that the police department supports it if it’s for safety purposes, not generating revenue. We’ve now come to a crossroads in which continuing the program as it’s currently run is causing us to do a rather unsafe thing: pull two traffic enforcement officers off the street a day to review the violations. That’s two officers who could otherwise be responding to calls for service, enforcing traffic laws on highways and streets, helping stranded motorists and providing traffic control at significant events.
The Special Operations Division reports that each red light camera generates about 20 violations per day. At present, there are 20 red light cameras, with another 10 to be installed by the end of the summer. This equates to 600 violations to review per day, or about 4,200 a week. The officers must watch the video of each violation to determine if it clearly shows a car running a red light. Officers are currently able to review about 43 violations per hour. Therefore, (with an occasional break for the officers) it takes about 95 hours a week to review the violations, which is more than the work of two full-time officers. Another 12 hours a week is necessary for a sergeant’s review and administration of the program.
Court dates for those who have pleaded not guilty to red light camera tickets have not started yet, and if officers were called into court on these cases often, it would take even more time away from their patrol duties.
Suffice it to say, we cannot go on like this. We are under a hiring freeze and already have reduced manpower due to dozens of early retirements last month. We can ill afford to take two officers away from their regular duties of public safety. It would cost about $150,000 a year to assign two full-time officers to review these violations. If 4,200 violations are issued a week at $100 a piece (another $13.50 goes to court costs), the cost to hire these officers could theoretically be taken care of with the revenue from four days’ worth of violations.
We don’t want this to be about the money, but some is necessary to run the program, and we’re asking the city to work with us on arranging that. I was heartened to hear from city officials at Tuesday’s Board of Police Commissioners meeting that red-light running at the location of the original red light cameras, 39th Street and Southwest Trafficway, has dropped 80 percent since the cameras were installed in February. That kind of increased roadway safety is truly priceless.
send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
The Special Operations Division reports that each red light camera generates about 20 violations per day. At present, there are 20 red light cameras, with another 10 to be installed by the end of the summer. This equates to 600 violations to review per day, or about 4,200 a week. The officers must watch the video of each violation to determine if it clearly shows a car running a red light. Officers are currently able to review about 43 violations per hour. Therefore, (with an occasional break for the officers) it takes about 95 hours a week to review the violations, which is more than the work of two full-time officers. Another 12 hours a week is necessary for a sergeant’s review and administration of the program.
Court dates for those who have pleaded not guilty to red light camera tickets have not started yet, and if officers were called into court on these cases often, it would take even more time away from their patrol duties.
Suffice it to say, we cannot go on like this. We are under a hiring freeze and already have reduced manpower due to dozens of early retirements last month. We can ill afford to take two officers away from their regular duties of public safety. It would cost about $150,000 a year to assign two full-time officers to review these violations. If 4,200 violations are issued a week at $100 a piece (another $13.50 goes to court costs), the cost to hire these officers could theoretically be taken care of with the revenue from four days’ worth of violations.
We don’t want this to be about the money, but some is necessary to run the program, and we’re asking the city to work with us on arranging that. I was heartened to hear from city officials at Tuesday’s Board of Police Commissioners meeting that red-light running at the location of the original red light cameras, 39th Street and Southwest Trafficway, has dropped 80 percent since the cameras were installed in February. That kind of increased roadway safety is truly priceless.
send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
June 24 homicide
UPDATE: The people pictured in the above photos are persons of interest in this homicide. Please call the TIPS Hotline if you know who they are and/or where to find them.____________________________________
Officers were called at 12:13 a.m. Wednesday to investigate a shooting at 36th and Main streets. When the officers arrived, they discovered a male in his 20's dead in the street (on 36th Street, just west of Main).
The victim has been identified as 22-year-old Montague K. Ashline, a black male, of Kansas City, Mo. There are no suspects in custody and anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).
The victim has been identified as 22-year-old Montague K. Ashline, a black male, of Kansas City, Mo. There are no suspects in custody and anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).
send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Mourning the loss of one of our own
Today is a difficult day for the Kansas City Missouri Police Department. Today we mourned the loss and celebrated the life of Officer Peter Aretakis, an officer who served nearly 20 years on this department. Pete lost his battle with cancer on June 19, and his funeral services were today.
Pete was assigned to the North Patrol Division, Watch III. He was diagnosed with cancer in October 2008. He had been undergoing chemotherapy, and in February of this year, it appeared to be working so well that Pete returned to work on limited duty.
Pete was a highly respected and much-loved veteran of KCPD. Shortly after he started chemotherapy this past November, his fellow officers at North Patrol decided to show their camaraderie by shaving their heads since Pete was losing his hair in chemo (a photo of this event is above, with Pete Aretakis in the barber's chair and Officer Pete Shultz shaving Officer Aretakis' head). More than 20 of them went bald that day, including a female officer who cut off a 29-inch braid and shaved her head like her male counterparts to show her support for Pete.
This is a difficult loss for our department, but it is much more difficult for Pete’s family, including his wife and two boys. Our thoughts and prayers are with them for peace and comfort at this time.
Pete was assigned to the North Patrol Division, Watch III. He was diagnosed with cancer in October 2008. He had been undergoing chemotherapy, and in February of this year, it appeared to be working so well that Pete returned to work on limited duty.
Pete was a highly respected and much-loved veteran of KCPD. Shortly after he started chemotherapy this past November, his fellow officers at North Patrol decided to show their camaraderie by shaving their heads since Pete was losing his hair in chemo (a photo of this event is above, with Pete Aretakis in the barber's chair and Officer Pete Shultz shaving Officer Aretakis' head). More than 20 of them went bald that day, including a female officer who cut off a 29-inch braid and shaved her head like her male counterparts to show her support for Pete.
This is a difficult loss for our department, but it is much more difficult for Pete’s family, including his wife and two boys. Our thoughts and prayers are with them for peace and comfort at this time.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Battle for Blood update
After the weekend, Police are behind on Battle for Blood donations. The totals are:
Police: 107
Fire: 151
We've got until Friday to bring in as many blood donors for Police as possible to Community Blood Centers around the metro. Your donation could save two lives!
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
Police: 107
Fire: 151
We've got until Friday to bring in as many blood donors for Police as possible to Community Blood Centers around the metro. Your donation could save two lives!
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
Homicide at 35th and Agnes
On Sunday, June 21, at about 4:40 p.m., officers were called to 35th and Agnes on a shooting. Officers arrived and observed the victim inside his vehicle, in the intersection. The victim was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was transported to an area hospital where he later died. The victim has been positively identified as 26-year-old Eric Taylor of Kansas City, Mo. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Police, Fire engage in Battle for Blood starting June 20
A seemingly innocuous day of family fun will kick off a week-long, metro-wide turf war to save lives.
Kansas City Police and Fire departments will join other law enforcement and firefighting agencies around the Kansas City region in the 15th Annual Battle for Blood that will take place June 20-26 at all Community Blood Center locations. Last year, the Police pulled out a narrow victory with 912 registered blood donors to Fire’s 868 donors. Police will make every effort to retain the Champion’s Cup in 2009.
The Kansas City Missouri Police and Fire departments will help kick off the Battle at the Community Blood Center’s 4040 Main St. location from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fire equipment will be on display, as will several police elements, including the Canine and Mounted Patrol sections, the DWI-Blood Alcohol Test van and the roll-over car accident simulator. Radio station KFKF will be broadcasting live, and the TIPS Hotline-mobile will be roaming between Community Blood Center locations around the metro. A free hot dog lunch will be served, and all registered donors will receive a free T-shirt. Everyone is invited to attend.
The Battle for Blood comes at a pivotal time for the Community Blood Center, just before the Fourth of July holiday.
“Our blood supply is critically low for every blood type, especially O,” said Maureen O’Sullivan, Community Blood Center’s Director of Donor Recruitment. “We’re at about a 1-day or less supply.”
O’Sullivan said summer is always a slow time for blood donations with people on vacation and high schools – from which the Center draws about 15 percent of its donor pool – out of session. Holiday weekends like the Fourth of July slow donations even more.
“That’s why we time it right before a holiday because we absolutely count on Battle for Blood,” O’Sullivan said.
Anyone can participate in the Battle for Blood and pick their favorite team – Police or Fire – to benefit from their donation. All donors will receive a free T-shirt. In addition to the Community Blood Center locations listed below, the Kansas City Missouri Police Department will host a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 26, at the Police Academy, 6885 NE Pleasant Valley Road, in the gymnasium.
Blood can be donated at any of the following Community Blood Center locations, and 16-year-olds are now eligible to donate blood with a parent’s permission. Donors at all locations will receive a free T-shirt, and on Saturday, all locations also will serve a free hot dog lunch:
Kansas City
Kansas City Police and Fire departments will join other law enforcement and firefighting agencies around the Kansas City region in the 15th Annual Battle for Blood that will take place June 20-26 at all Community Blood Center locations. Last year, the Police pulled out a narrow victory with 912 registered blood donors to Fire’s 868 donors. Police will make every effort to retain the Champion’s Cup in 2009.
The Kansas City Missouri Police and Fire departments will help kick off the Battle at the Community Blood Center’s 4040 Main St. location from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fire equipment will be on display, as will several police elements, including the Canine and Mounted Patrol sections, the DWI-Blood Alcohol Test van and the roll-over car accident simulator. Radio station KFKF will be broadcasting live, and the TIPS Hotline-mobile will be roaming between Community Blood Center locations around the metro. A free hot dog lunch will be served, and all registered donors will receive a free T-shirt. Everyone is invited to attend.
The Battle for Blood comes at a pivotal time for the Community Blood Center, just before the Fourth of July holiday.
“Our blood supply is critically low for every blood type, especially O,” said Maureen O’Sullivan, Community Blood Center’s Director of Donor Recruitment. “We’re at about a 1-day or less supply.”
O’Sullivan said summer is always a slow time for blood donations with people on vacation and high schools – from which the Center draws about 15 percent of its donor pool – out of session. Holiday weekends like the Fourth of July slow donations even more.
“That’s why we time it right before a holiday because we absolutely count on Battle for Blood,” O’Sullivan said.
Anyone can participate in the Battle for Blood and pick their favorite team – Police or Fire – to benefit from their donation. All donors will receive a free T-shirt. In addition to the Community Blood Center locations listed below, the Kansas City Missouri Police Department will host a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 26, at the Police Academy, 6885 NE Pleasant Valley Road, in the gymnasium.
Blood can be donated at any of the following Community Blood Center locations, and 16-year-olds are now eligible to donate blood with a parent’s permission. Donors at all locations will receive a free T-shirt, and on Saturday, all locations also will serve a free hot dog lunch:
Kansas City
4040 Main St.
Gladstone
7265 North Oak Trafficway
Blue Springs
1124 W. 40 Highway
Overland Park
10568 Metcalf Ave.
Olathe
1463 E. 151st St.
Lawrence
1410 Kasold
Check out www.battleforblood.com for more information, to make an appointment, and daily donation totals for Police and Fire.
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