Increase in property crime leads to violent crime

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) — Kansas City, Missouri police continue their work to combat property and violent crimes that affect people's safety.

KCPD Chief Stacey Graves said they are working with the juvenile court in hopes of reaching the children before they adopt this lifestyle.

She said they had caught youths red-handed committing a property crime, but they were armed with weapons, some of which were assault rifles.

“When you look at some of their arrests, it seems like we could have caught them on a less serious offense and corrected their direction,” she said. “We're looking at that, we're having conversations to make sure we're providing all the information, we're doing everything we can to make sure that not only are the juveniles held accountable, but that we're providing the best case files for a successful prosecution.”

People, especially those who live and work in the Brookside and Waldo neighborhoods today, want change quickly.

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“We are part of the solution, but I think we all know it takes a collaborative, citywide approach. So we're staying true to that mission and making sure we do everything we can,” Graves said.

According to Doug Niemeier, deputy police chief of the KCPD, there has been an increase in the number of people committing property crimes that turn into violent crimes when they are caught in the act.

Niemeier compared this case of property crime to the Dodge Challenger thefts, when many of these vehicles were stolen in downtown Kansas City.

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“We have a small group of people committing a large number of crimes. If we arrest them – and we will arrest them – hopefully it will stop,” he said.

KCPD's suggestions for increasing your safety include security cameras such as Ring doorbells, placing an Apple Airtag-like device in your car, and taking all items out of the car.

As for children returning to school, Niemeier said it may contribute to some reduction in crime in the city, but that the property crime they face is at the same level as young adults.

“The crimes we are talking about are events in the inner city, events involving subway patrols – they involve young adults,” Niemeier said.

He said he spent about an hour discussing the matter with Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters-Baker, and she encouraged him to come forward immediately if they found out adults were involved in the incident to reduce the chance of it happening again.

“There is movement here that people don't see or don't know about, but we're working on it and I think we're making progress,” Niemeier said. “I hope that as we make these arrests, we'll see a drastic decrease in this area.”

He further said that property crimes will continue to occur in nature, but that they should decrease.

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