KCPD meets with Board of Commissioners to discuss efforts to stop property crimes and sideshows

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) — At its recent meeting with the Board of Commissioners, the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department provided a much-needed update.

As residents continue to observe acts of harassment and property crimes, the KCPD, with the support of the City Council, is planning solutions.

Those who face all types of crime that the KCPD and the Police Department discussed at their last meeting agree on one thing: If nothing is done about theft and property crime, Kansas City will lose its unique fabric of local businesses.

One of these stores is French Custard, on the corner of 59th Street and Brookside, which has suffered three break-ins in the last 18 months, causing great distress for owner Jessica Wood.

“Every morning you wake up and you're thankful you didn't lose business that day,” Wood said, “because every day there's new business. The worst part isn't really financial, but emotional, having to be at the store at 3:00 a.m. to clean up broken glass.”

In the middle of the city center, residents can hardly sleep because of the constant onlookers of reckless drivers.

“Sometimes they speed by while I'm walking my dog ​​and you just have to get out of their way,” said Tony Patton. “People run red lights and speed through the area. It happens almost every night.”

“It's almost like they're doing burnouts on the eighth floor where I live,” Jose Aguilar said.

In a meeting with the Police Commission, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves presented an idea to stop the problem.

“We will be meeting with legislators in Jefferson City to establish and increase penalties for those who participate in or watch these dangerous sideshows,” Chief Graves said.

Instead of waiting for new laws, people KCTV spoke to believe many property and auto crimes could be stopped if the KCPD had a stronger presence on the streets.

“I've called the police several times, my son who lives downtown has called the police several times, but we just don't see them,” Patton told KCTV. “When we call them, they usually say they're on assignment for another part of town.”

Chief Graves further explained that they also take a “collective approach” and, in cooperation with community resources, patrol the areas where crimes have occurred on foot and by car to ensure safety.

Their team also advised everyone to never keep valuables in the car to minimize the risk of theft. They also recommended attaching an Airtag to the car and only parking in places with security systems.

City Councilor Crispin Rea also advocated building a new prison using a public safety sales tax so that authorities have more space to house those arrested before they go to court.

As for the public safety sales tax related to a new prison, Kansas City voters will decide whether to approve it when they vote in April.

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