Members of the Indian Mound neighborhood association along with KCPD Community Interaction Officers Greg Smith and Pat Byrd went door to door in the area south of Budd Park Saturday morning working to engage more neighbors following an uptick of violent crime over the past few weeks.

Following a January 28th homicide where 16 year old Miguel Padilla was shot in the 400 block of Denver Avenue, neighbors have worked with Police on identifying problem areas and strengthening the block watch groups south of Budd Park.

“The goal today is to engage neighbors and bring them to the neighborhood association so they can connect with us and feel a sense of security on all the things we’re doing” said Manny Abarca, neighborhood association President.

Flyers with crime prevention tips were given to residents along with information on registering video surveillance cameras with the police department. “The more eyes and ears we have in the community, the better” said Officer Greg Smith.

During the outreach operation, over sixty residents were contacted.