I’d like to thank everyone who followed our tweet along on Thursday night. (If you missed it, you can catch up at www.twitter.com/kcpolice.) It was just four hours, but I hope it gave you insight into what officers encounter on a typical shift.
Officers John Newell and William Baker, with whom the ride along took place, have nearly 30 years of police experience combined. They are very proactive. As you probably saw, when they weren’t responding to 911 calls, they were out looking for suspects with warrants or patrolling areas where they’d had problems with violent crime and narcotics.
I really appreciate everyone who asked great questions along the way. Some of those included how officers are assigned to the areas they patrol, how arrest wagons work, and even why officers would pull over a car with a possible fake temp tag. You can see all the answers at www.twitter.com/kcpolice.
We gained 1,000 new followers in 24 hours the day of the tweet along and plan to do more in the future. This tweet along was in the Metro Patrol Division, so going forward, we’ll likely highlight other parts of the city, too.
We also received many requests about how the public can go on an actual ride along with KCPD officers. You must be at least 18 years old, live or work in Kansas City, Mo., and be willing to undergo a criminal background check. You can download the application and submit it to the patrol division station where you’d like to ride along.
Overall, I hope the community gained a greater of understanding of how the front-line officers or our department do business. The community engagement that happened in this tweet along is another step forward in building the relationships between police and citizens that will make Kansas City safer.
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.
