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Kansas City Police Department is ready to implement Phase II of its pilot foot patrolling project.
During Phase I of the project last year, police academy graduates were selected to foot patrol four of Kansas City’s most crime ridden areas. One of those areas included a section along Independence Avenue in the Historic Northeast.
This year, 16 seasoned officers will patrol four to eight hot spot areas selected by KCPD Chief Darryl Forté. Each hot spot will include 15 intersections and approximately 1.3 to 1.5 linear roadway miles. Areas will be chosen based on data relating to the number of homicides, aggravated assaults and crimes involving firearms. Officers will begin foot patrolling on Aug. 1 and will continue the patrolling through Oct. 31.
Phase II is being made possible through a $299,730 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to be used for overtime and training. Kansas City was the only city to receive funding for this type of project, said Maj. Roger Lewis, patrol bureau executive officer. The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) will serve as a research partner and will use $125,000 of the grant to analyze crime data, the community impact and effectiveness of foot patrolling. The remaining $175,000 will be used to fund overtime and training for officers.
Overtime funding will be used for the officers who are filling in for those working the foot patrolling.
“We don’t want to take staffing of those (patrol) cars away from the community, so that money will be used to buy back officers so they can work a longer shift or work on their day off. So, we can still staff that car while we have this group of 16 officers on foot patrol,” he explained.
Specific foot patrolling officers and hot spots will be determined at a later date, he said.
The goal of foot patrolling is to reduce crime, create citizen contacts and build relationships with community members. If data proves the project was effective, KCPD will consider using foot patrols for the long-term. Lewis said UMKC will likely know by the spring of 2013 if the foot patrolling project fulfilled its purpose.
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