Area-specific violence is being addressed

Some recent acts of violence have prompted inquiries about possible rashes of crime in different parts of our city. I’ve heard concern about the old Northeast and the 18th and Vine entertainment district among other areas, lately. 

Let me assure you that no area of the city is having an abnormal outbreak of violent crime. As I discussed in my previous post, homicides and assaults with a weapon are up this year compared to the record-low last year, but we still remain well below where we have been for the last four decades. All other types of crime in the city are down.

This is not to say we aren’t doing everything we can to prevent and solve crime and make people feel safe. I’ve talked a lot about our prevention efforts on this blog, ranging from the Kansas City No Violence Alliance to deploying extra resources to hot spots. There are so many other things happening. Weekly intelligence-sharing meetings keep everyone in patrol and investigations abreast of the most serious crime trends, suspects and problem areas. We then deploy the necessary resources – from increased police presence to covert operations – to stop the criminal activity. These intel-sharing efforts have gone down to the patrol division level, too. Your local officers work with schools, businesses, prosecutors, non-profits, and most importantly, of course – residents – to identify patterns of crime and ways to prevent them. The officers who work in your neighborhood know the areas experiencing issues, and they usually know who is engaging in criminal behavior. They need your help to further identify those suspects and get them into custody. And detectives need community assistance to gather enough evidence for successful prosecution.

Let me share a recent success story of all these pieces working together. The Historic Northeast neighborhood was recently plagued by a burglar who broke into victims’ homes while they were still inside. Crime analysts and district officers recognized the pattern and deployed resources ranging from extra patrol to cameras to under-cover officers. Neighbors and East Patrol officers held a community meeting to discuss the problem, actions residents could take to prevent crime and how to assist police. More than 100 people came to the meeting. Afterward, the burglar was caught and linked to about 20 crimes. This was an excellent collaboration between residents and police.

Similar work is happening in the 18th and Vine area. Central Patrol Division, the Vice Unit and the City’s Regulated Industries are working with business owners in the entertainment district to address violence that has erupted there. Additional officers also will be deployed at busier times like nights and weekends. Everyone should feel safe patronizing Kansas City’s entertainment districts. They are an integral part of our culture and make our city unique. KCPD constantly works with the management of these districts, as well as the businesses located within them, to ensure a safe environment. We also have excellent partnerships with the private security agencies who work in these areas. Everyone’s goal is to provide a fun place where people can enjoy themselves without fear.

Once a crime takes place, we also devote significant resources to solving it. During the first two weeks of September, Kansas City experienced multiple homicides. The Violent Crime Division alone expended more than $60,000 on overtime those two weeks. That is 1,206.3 extra hours put in by a few squads of detectives in just two weeks to solve these cases. That does not include the work done by crime scene investigators, analysts at the Crime Lab, or specialized units like the Illegal Firearms Squad, Career Criminal Squad or the many others who are involved in investigating these cases, arresting suspects and submitting cases for prosecution. We also have victim advocates who work every day with violent crime victims and their surviving loved ones.

We have incredibly dedicated people who work around the clock to get dangerous people into custody and provide justice. They work long, hard hours to ensure those who commit acts of violence will be stopped before they can hurt others. And as always, they need the help of other segments of the community to make that happen.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org. 

Kansas City Regional Crime Lab earns International Accreditation

The Kansas City Regional Crime Lab staff are the behind-the-scenes folks on whom the burden of justice often rests. Their work puts perpetrators of violent and property crimes behind bars, thereby protecting our neighborhoods. They recently received an honor confirming what we already knew: they're among the best in the nation. The below is from our monthly Informant newsletter and describes what this honor means for Kansas City: 

The Kansas City Regional Crime Lab has proved itself as one of the best in the nation after receiving a new breed of accreditation.

The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors – Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) bestowed their International Accreditation for Forensic Science Testing Laboratories on the Kansas City Lab on Sept. 3. A total of 104 city and county crime laboratories have earned the International Accreditation. Kansas City, however, is just one of seven labs nationwide to get accreditation in eight different disciplines, the most of any city or county lab ASCLD/LAB reviewed, according to their web site’s directory.

“For a local department, it’s a very impressive achievement to earn International Accreditation in all those disciplines,” ASCLD/LAB Executive Director John Neuner said.

The eight disciplines in which Kansas City’s lab earned International Accreditation are drug chemistry, toxicology, trace evidence, biology, firearms toolmarks, latent prints, crime scene and digital multimedia evidence.

The Kansas City Regional Crime Lab was previously accredited under ASCLD/LAB’s Legacy Program, but leaders wanted to take it to the next level. Neuner said the new level of accreditation is more stringent, has more requirements and is harder to achieve. It requires forensic laboratories to conform to standards that are in place for labs around the world, not just those agreed upon by American lab directors, as the old system did.

It took two years of work for the Kansas City Lab to earn the International Accreditation, said Lisa Dowler, the Lab’s Quality Assurance Manager. A group of staff members from every discipline met on a weekly basis to ensure the lab met every single standard. She said the process made them better.

“It makes us look at ourselves and look at our processes and how we can continually improve them,” she said.

She said the new standards are very customer-based, and their customers are several people in the judicial process: detectives, prosecutors, courts, attorneys and whoever gets their reports.

The process also had an impact on everyone at the Lab, from the scientists to the Building Operations and Property and Evidence technicians.

“It affected how we communicate with our customers, how we order supplies, how we check our instruments, word our reports, fix issues when they arise, how we set our goals and manage the laboratory,” she said. “So not only was the scientific staff affected, everyone was, from the Building Operations personnel that clean the labs to the administrative assistants and how they order our supplies for us.”

So why did everyone go to so much work for a piece of paper that grants International Accreditation for the next four years?

Ultimately, it’s to fight crime. When the Crime Lab presents evidence that is all but irrefutable, criminals go to prison and victims get justice.

“It’s a symbol for the people of Kansas City and the courts that a quality system exists within your lab, and you’ve demonstrated you’re following internationally recognized standards,” Neuner said. “It gives greater confidence in the quality of work coming out of the laboratory.”

Recognizing the behind-the-scenes work that helped stop a serial killer

Kansas City Police recently arrested a man who killed two women and was intent on killing more. Investigators allege that Derek Richardson, 27, was a serial killer in the making. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of abandonment of a corpse. He already was targeting other potential victims. You can read more about the case in this Kansas City Star article.

You might have seen the Feb. 8 press conference in which we asked for tips in these cases on television, or the one announcing we had identified and arrested the suspect. You probably saw several of the detectives at those events. They did amazing work on this case. But what you did not see were the people who also worked diligently behind the scene to make the arrest happen.

I presented a Chief’s Coin today to one of those people: Jennifer Howard. She is the DNA Technical Leader at our Crime Lab and was instrumental in solving this case. For two months, she made this case a priority. She and other lab staff tested DNA samples as quickly as possible and came in at all kinds of odd hours to do so.

Jennifer discovered that DNA recovered from the second crime scene matched the first, solidly linking the two cases to the same killer. With this discovery, a task force of detectives from our department and Kearney, Mo., (the first victim’s body was dumped in rural Kearney) went to work. As they developed suspects, Jennifer tested to see whether their DNA matched the profile of that recovered at the crime scenes. Detectives developed about 50 suspects, and Jennifer and her team tested 37 DNA samples (she found the others already in CODIS – the national criminal justice DNA database). She worked quickly, as detectives told her the killer could strike again.

A few days after the Feb. 8 press conference, a tip came in leading detectives to Richardson. Jennifer confirmed his DNA sample was a match to the crime scenes.

Sergeant Doug Niemeier, who led the investigative task force, said Jennifer was the go-to person for DNA work. If they got a sample at 10 p.m., she would come in at 10 p.m. and go to work testing it. And that promptness was important.

“If we didn’t find him, we knew he’d do it again,” Niemeier said.

This above-and-beyond work and attitude is why I was pleased to present Jennifer with the Chief’s Coin today as a special token of appreciation.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

KCPD Crime Lab is first in nation approved to use "expert system" in DNA analysis in cases

The FBI has approved the Kansas City Regional Crime Lab as the first municipal lab in the nation to use an "Expert System" for the review of known DNA samples. Essentially, an expert system eliminates the need for an additional person to review technical data involved with analyzing DNA. The computer system does it instead. The hope is that this will dramatically reduce the lab's DNA backlog. We received the formal approval from the FBI last month and will go live with the system in the next month or two. To date, only state-wide crime laboratories used this technology to assist in analyzing already-convicted offenders.

Kansas City will be the first to use expert systems on known DNA reference samples in active cases. For example, if DNA is found in a home that has been burglarized, the known sample would come from the home's residents, whose DNA would of course be on items throughout the house. The unknown sample would come from the burglar. We used known DNA samples to eliminate many suspects in the 2009-10 serial rapes in the Waldo area.

Our crime lab gets 2,000 to 3,000 known DNA samples every year. And as we continue to train officers and detectives to take DNA samples in things like property crimes, those will only increase. The good news is, this new expert system will allow our Crime Lab's DNA analysts to keep up with them all.

The Kansas City Regional Crime Lab received a grant from the National Institutes of Justice to explore ways to increase efficiency in DNA laboratories in new and innovative ways. The expert system was the result. Our scientists have worked a long time to thoroughly evaluate the efficacy and accuracy of the system, and we have utmost confidence in its work. The analysts are excited to put it to use, reduce the backlog and ultimately get cases solved and justice delivered more quickly.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

The future East Patrol Division / Crime Lab campus - where do you think it should be?

Thanks to Kansas City voters renewing the quarter-cent public safety sales tax in November 2010, we are moving forward with capital improvement plans. First on the list is a new campus to house the East Patrol Division and Crime Lab. We're working with the City Architect's Office, City Manager's Office, City Council members and the Mayor to find the perfect spot for these buildings, and we'd like your suggestions.

Below are some of the factors that will be considered:
* Cost
* Size and shape of the site - it needs to be 12 to 15 acres
* Public accessibility (both by vehicles and pedestrians)
* Visibility of the surrounding area and security
* Possible environmental hazards or contamination
* Sufficient distance from railroad tracks and major highways to protect the Crime Lab from ground vibrations
* An opportunity to build in a blighted area in order to serve as an anchor for neighborhood improvement.

If you have an idea of where you think would be the perfect spot for the new East Patrol and Crime Lab, go to www.saferkc.com/east to submit your suggestions.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

Crime Scene School gets down and dirty to prepare students for real-world crime scenes

PRESS RELEASE:

Class is in session at the Kansas City Police Academy, and the final exam is to analyze a bloody murder scene.

Instructors from KCPD’s Regional Crime Lab are teaching 17 students from law enforcement agencies across Kansas and Missouri to process crime scenes, so even if they don’t have their own CSI team, they can still knowledgeably and thoroughly gather and analyze evidence. Students will have to analyze mock crime scenes complete with blood (real human blood from the Community Blood Center that had expired), bodies, fingerprints and more.

“The whole goal behind the school is to get outlying agencies to feel more comfortable processing their own crime scenes,” said Ashley Vogelaar, a KCPD Crime Scene Technician and course instructor.

The students are primarily detectives from other police agencies and two new KCPD Crime Lab employees who are going to the school as part of their training. The teachers are KCPD Crime Lab scientists and crime scene investigators. The three-week class includes two weeks in the classroom and one week of hands-on work. Topics that are covered include: digital crime scene photography; crime scene processing; evidence identification, collection and preservation; report writing; diagramming; courtroom testimony; bloodstain pattern recognition and documentation; DNA capabilities; shooting reconstruction; crime scene management; latent fingerprint processing; firearms and toolmark identification; and footwear and tire track impression evidence.

KCPD’s Crime Lab has taught the course for more than a decade, and in so doing, have equipped police across the Kansas City area and around the Midwest to effectively process crime scenes.


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Learn more about how the real CSI works in Kansas City

This video featuring KCPD Crime Lab Director Linda Netzel delves into our DNA backlog, how DNA is obtained and processed, and how a piece of forensic evidence makes its way from a crime scene to a courtroom:



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Police unveil new building for conducting forensic investigations on vehicles

PRESS RELEASE:

Kansas City Police now have a high-tech, secure facility in which to process vehicles used in crimes for evidence.

Police celebrated the opening of the new building with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9. The Vehicle Processing Facility is located on the campus of the City’s new Vehicle Impound Facility. Media are invited to attend.

The Vehicle Processing Facility – or VPF – will provide a secure place for crime lab personnel to process vehicles for fingerprints, DNA and trace evidence like fibers and hairs.

“They get the full CSI treatment,” said Captain Jack Foster, KCPD Crime Lab commander.

One bay in the VPF is completely enclosed and dark so lab personnel can use Luminol to spot apparent blood stains. A scaled-down version of a crime lab is attached to the vehicle bays so investigators can use advanced finger-printing techniques and other chemical processes on site.

Captain Foster said the VPF has been sorely needed for many years. After an old fire station at 12th and Indiana got too run down for police to use some years ago, Crime Lab personnel have had to take vehicles with sensitive evidence to KCPD’s Fleet Operations building or sometimes to the police filling station at 1245 Prospect. The evidence vehicles would take up spaces in bays needed for police car repairs. After processing, those evidence cars would be left in an unsecured lot.

“Now we don’t have to worry about anyone tampering with the vehicles,” Captain Foster said.

Access to the VPF and its adjoining lot is largely restricted to Crime Lab personnel.

The $2.6 million building is 5,000 square feet and was designed to fit a semi truck and trailer inside. It features vehicle bays and lifts, a collapsible classroom, a small crime lab, offices and an adjoining lot to store evidence vehicles. The City of Kansas City paid to construct the building as part of its new Vehicle Impound Facility. The City is pursuing Silver LEED Certification for the facility’s environmental friendliness.

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Technology brings Crime Lab and Homicide Unit closer

Another interesting story from this month's Informant newsletter discusses the recent technological advances that are bringing our Crime Lab personnel in on regular briefings and discussions about homicide cases. Ultimately, this should lead to solving more cases more quickly. Here's the story:

The distance from KCPD’s headquarters and the Regional Crime Lab is a lot shorter now, thanks to the new video-conferencing technology just installed in both locations.

When a homicide squad meets to discuss a case, a lab technician will now be able to participate right alongside the squad at Headquarters. The advantage is more than just the savings in travel time.

“Now we can have two-way visual and audio contact virtually at any time with the lab experts,” Homicide Sergeant Dave Bernard said “We also each have Visualizers.”

The Visualizer is a high-resolution device that allows the distant viewer at the lab to see documents and evidence in real time, just as the squad does. The lab technician could instruct a member of the homicide squad to pick up, rotate or turn over a piece of evidence, allowing the technician to examine it as if he or she were there.

The 2007 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant provided the funding for the video conferencing equipment in Violent Crimes and the Lab. The system involved the purchase of a 52” Plasma TV, two laptops, the two Visualizers, software and networking. The cost was just over $22,000.

Homicide Sergeant Barb Eckert hasn’t had a chance to use the new system yet.

“I’m anxious to see if it has the same feel as it does when you are sitting down in the same room with a person from the lab,” Sergeant Eckert said.

Once they mastered the operation of the equipment, the video-conferencing has become as natural to homicide detectives as any of their previous briefings before the addition of the lab. There’s no need to present to the camera as the camera captures the entire space. The lab technician simply becomes another person in the room.

After a couple of practice rounds, the squad was ready to do a live briefing.

“Even during the practice rounds, we were able to tell the lab personnel what to look for in the evidence recovered and how it relates to the crime,” Sergeant Bernard said.

The lab personnel, in turn, made suggestions on how to accomplish things that would facilitate their testing.

“I think it will be an effective tool once we get used to it,” Homicide Sergeant Keith Kirchhoff said. “I’m looking forward to the enhanced communication with the crime lab.”

Members of the Homicide Unit hope having the lab involved in such a personal and interactive way will be more than a convenience, but rather a way to improve investigations leading to quicker arrests.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

KCPD Crime Lab re-accredited

PRESS RELEASE:

The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) has notified the Kansas City Missouri Police Department that its crime lab has been re-accredited.

ASCLD inspectors conducted an audit of the Kansas City Police Department Regional Crime Laboratory from Aug. 24 to 28, 2009. This audit was in addition to the annual internal audits the Crime Lab conducts. ASCLD’s audit found that the lab met 84 percent of “essential” criteria, 84 percent of “important” criteria and 100 percent of “desirable” criteria.

Upon receiving the audit report, Crime Lab staff worked to improve all the areas in which the inspectors said they did not meet standards and completed this work on Nov. 30, 2009. Lab staff provided ASCLD with documentation and examples of those changes on Dec. 15. ASCLD notified Kansas City Police on Monday that the lab had successfully remediated those standards and that the lab is now fully accredited through 2014.

“We’re very pleased we were able to quickly remediate the standards and successfully retain our accreditation,” Crime Lab Director Linda Netzel said.

ASCLD’s rigorous accreditation process requires crime labs to meet 91 essential criteria and also looks for 45 important criteria and 16 desirable criteria. Their audits cover everything from employee training to safety equipment to evidence chain of custody. Just four other law enforcement agencies in Missouri operate ASCLD-accredited crime labs. ASCLD conducts accreditation audits of crime labs every five years.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.