By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
December 28, 2011

Nearly 40 Northeast residents gathered at James Elementary School to share neighborhood concerns Dec. 13.

The meeting was part of the Safe Schools Program, a pilot program aimed to make the area around James Elementary safer. East Patrol Zone officers conducted their roll call during the meeting and conducted a question and answer session with attendees.

Asked what residents can do if they notice gang or drug related activity, Sgt. Jennifer Jones said to call 911. Officers can’t address a problem if they don’t know about it, she said.

“Even when we get there and it’s over with, we now know about the information,” Jones said.

Detailed physical descriptions are key, she said. Also, if you see the same vehicles at a house, write down the license plate information and description of the vehicles. Is the suspect walking up to a house to buy drugs or walking up to a car? The more details, the better, she said.

Officer Anthony Watt agreed.

“Getting a better description helps us a lot,” he said.

Watt used the example of residents near Roberts and Bales, who grew weary of crime in their area, especially drug dealings. Residents paid attention to suspects in their area and provided detailed information to police. Through that community cooperation, crime has been significantly reduced in the area, Watt said.

You don’t have to approach the suspects, just watch them, he said.

“Just watch them because they think you’re not watching them or that you don’t care, but you do,” he said. “When everybody comes together you’ll be amazed at what happens.”

“Some of our best arrests are from tips from our community,” Jones added. “The more partnerships we have with the community, the more effective we are.”

Indian Mound Neighborhood Association President Katie Greer shared several success stories in her neighborhood about community cooperation that led to graffiti abatement and the arrest of a suspect who had been burglarizing the area.

Greer also asked what to do if there’s only suspicion of illegal activity and not proof.

Jones said residents can report the information to Kansas City Police Department’s non-emergency number, (816) 234-5111. Residents may also request additional patrolling in the area by contacting East Patrol, (816) 234-5530. Another avenue is email, she said. The best person to email is East Patrol’s Community Interaction Officer Jason Cooley (jason.cooley@kcpd.org), she said, who will will forward the information to the appropriate sergeants.

“That is valuable information to us,” she said. “I read them all – every one of those (emails) that comes to me. We talk about it in roll call and pass them on.”

One resident asked how the community can keep the surrounding neighborhoods of James Elementary safer and Jones said, “I think from that point of view, the most successful thing is to have everyone looking out for each other.”

Neighbors need to network with each other and notify each other when they will be out of town, she said. Also, if you see something suspicious occurring, call the police immediately, she said.

One officer asked the community to be patient and explained that officers must follow the hierarchy of calls, responding to the most dire calls first.

“If we have one area that we get called to a lot, we are going to solve that,” Jones said. “That is a problem for us and means there’s an issue there.”

Another way to protect your property is to call East Patrol when you’ll be out of town. Residents can sign up for house watches and officers will be assigned to periodically check on the residence.

Residents should also consider having Cooley conduct his free security survey, Maj. Anthony Ell said. Cooley will assess your home and provide tips on how to improve security through environmental design.

“You’ll be amazed at how much difference it can make by cutting away shrubbery,” Ell said.

Leaving on exterior lights also increases security and only adds a few extra dollars each month to the electricity bill, he said. Also, don’t leave items of value in plain site – whether that’s leaving a tool box or lawn mower outside or leaving items in your vehicle, he said.

“They are thieves of opportunity,” Ell said. “If we don’t provide an opportunity, it makes it very difficult for them – their job is 24/7 to look for things to steal.”