By Joe Jarosz
Northeast News
August 27, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – This past week, the Kansas City Mo., Police Department held citywide community forums – six total – to discuss with residents how to better improve and what’s being done correct in their respected area divisions. At the East Patrol Station, nearly 50 people packed a tight conference room to ask questions or give comments to the officers over a two hour period. Topics at the forum ranged from crime prevention, updates on the new East Patrol Division Campus and strategies for neighborhood associations.

Major Rick Smith said since he’s taken over command in January, he’s been trying to get out and around the East Patrol Division boundaries as much as possible to meet and talk with different people and organizations. Based on trends and statistics, he said things are looking good for the East Patrol division from his seat. One of the programs Smith discussed, after several questions from the crowd, included the crime-free multi-family housing programs, law enforcement-based crime prevention solutions designed to help keep illegal activity off rental properties. There are currently two officers in the East Patrol Division dedicated to this program.

“They work with landlords and owners to make sure rental units are up to par, that people are treated well and that if there are crime problems, then they’re addressed,” Smith said.

When the issue of quality of life was addressed, Smith told the crowd the KCPD has to triage services. There are so many miles, with only so many officers to cover them, Smith said, that right now, the main effort of the KCPD is violent crimes. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand the issue.

“We address quality of life issues as we go along,” Smith said. “Are we going to get to every one? No, we’re not. We try our best to get there.”

Smith went on to reference the progress the East Patrol Division has made on quality of life issues in the Northeast area, specifically dealing with the homeless people. Smith said working with Tom Ribera president of the Independence Plaza Neighborhood Association, has helped a lot.

“It didn’t happen over night,” Smith said. “It took us weeks and weeks to gather information and talk about it. It takes time to develop a plan and we continue to work on the issue.”

Also during the forum, Smith emphasized the need for strong neighborhood associations. He said the groups bring people together, talk to one another and help tremendously. Rachel Riley, vice president of the East 23rd Street PAC Neighborhood Association, said the association is doing great things in the area because of how much it has grown over the years. Ribera gave an example of how the community came together for a problematic house, spoke to public information officer Jason Cooley and that lead to action.

“The community has to get together,” Ribera said. “Just got to work with your neighbors.”