The local murder count in increasing at a faster pace as we move toward the end of the year. Meanwhile all of the typical, ineffectual rhetoric from politicos is being recycled: Voices rise against violence in KC
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The real question is, have we had more homicides than Al Brooks press conferences this year? At 87 murders, the contest must be pretty close.
ReplyDeleteThis guy is a self-serving self-promoter who makes a very good living off the grief of victims' families and the media is too lazy to figure that out.
Isn't it strange that someone who earns his lving that way also sits on the police board? Sort of a perpetual motion machine.
And the folks at 12th and Oak are all afraid of him.
Streetcars will solve the homicide problem. If they don't do it surely a 1,000 room hotel will.
ReplyDelete100 before Christmas!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe hotel will only help if we give them enormous tax breaks to come here...then the homicides will be taken care of, no really.
ReplyDeleteWith more practice at the range, these thugs can do much better than this. This is on pace for about 116. Quit using FMJs and switch to soft points. They open up better and won't go through thugs and hit bystanders.
ReplyDeleteAn FMJ is like stabbing them with an icepick.
Don't worry the Cold Case Detectives will solve these someday.
ReplyDeleteWhen are people going to figure this out? Preventing crime, and/or solving crime simply are not a priority for the elected officials in this city. One needs to look no further than the budget fight of 2008, and the two years since for evidence of that fact.
ReplyDeleteIn 2008 the police department got caught up in a fight between the former Mayor and the City Council. The Mayor was proposing more money for additional police officers to patrol the east side of the city where most violent crime occurs. The City Council at the time hated the Mayor and wasn't about to go along with anything the Mayor said.
The down market that year left the city with a budget shortfall. Public forums were held all over the city to solicit feedback about how to cut the city's budget. The City Council was told overwhelmingly that the citizens didn't want the police department's budget cut. Yet the City Council voted 12 to 1 to cut the PD budget by $15 million. In the two budget cycles since 2008, the City Council has left the police department's budget untouched, with no increases in funding.
Now fast forward to the present time. In order to pay the staff and keep the lights on the police have been forced to recoup salary savings by leaving budgeted positions unfilled. I was told at a community meeting last week that there are currently over 80 civilian positions vacant within the police department and more than 75 police positions unfilled. Yet, as the police official at the meeting pointed out, the work that was being done by those 155 people doesn't stop or go away. So, now they are pulling officers off the street to do the work previously done by the civilians. All of this is impacting service to the citizens of the city and violent crime continues on the east side of the city.
It seems to me if the Mayor and City Council were serious about stopping the violent crime in this city, they would find a way to fully fund the police budget and possibly even increase funding to pay for more cops. Of course they would have to stop handing out unreasonable 18 to 30% pay raises to the fire union, and giving out taxpayer dollars to every developer who comes up with a hair brained real estate deal. So, they are not likely to take the safety of the citizens seriously anytime soon, and the violent deaths of the residents will just continue to be business as usual.
No big surprises here folks. Crime and Violence in Kansas City have been on the rise for years now. And guess what no one is doing anything about it. (But everybody still wants their pay-raise)
ReplyDelete"Voices rise against violence in KC"
ReplyDeleteIt's going to take a lot more than Hot air face time on TVeeee !
6:53, does anyone have the details on WHY Alvin Brooks abruptly left the police department? Was it during an investigation? Back in those days couldn't you save your pension by just resigning?
ReplyDeleteClay Chastain and Alvin Brooks have opened up new ways for scoring chicks.
Dear "KCMO Officials Don't Care": You raise some very valid points--fighting crime takes money, and the city is not inclined to spend money. As for the "2009 Budget Crisis"--it was a carefully orchestrated charade: Crime had exploded in the black neighborhoods of KCMO in 2008, and the people responsible for this crime disaster needed an excuse for what they had done. So they "hyped up" the idea that an "urgent budget crisis" necessitated deep cuts in the KCPD--and carefully filed away their statements to be made in a year when crime got worse that "the crime surge is unfortunate, but it was all due to an 'urgent budget crisis'." So, the guilty parties are "off the hook." Whatever can be said positive and negative about former Chief Corwin, he at least had enough integrity not to go along with this obvious scam--and for that fact our city should always be grateful to him. Take care. Sincerely and Respectfully, Ernest Evans
ReplyDeleteSorry Ernest Evans but KCPD has more than enough Police Officers.
ReplyDeleteAt KCPD many Police Ofiicers are just desk jockey's.
I Know COPs at KCPD that sit at their desks and bring in movies to watch on their PC's. It's the Truth. I know COPS at KCPD that have not made an arrest in 10 Years. KCPD has plenty of Cops many of them are SGTS playing secretary to the Deputy Chiefs while still having a civilian secretary. Why One person needs TWO secretaries is beyond me.
But it happens and on your dime.
That does not include all the disappearing acts of Majors, Captains, who leave on "business" ALL day. Only to be found at home working on their house on the Taxpayers dime.
So save the under funded talk for public agencies that really are under funded.
KCPD is NOT one of them.
"former Chief Corwin, he at least had enough integrity not to go along with this obvious scam"
ReplyDeletePS
Mr Evans Corwin was one of the Biggest scams. When he got a 15,000 raise shortly after taking office he told everyone in the "Daily Informant" that KCPD was needing to cut back on "Expenses" and this was YEARS before the Capital Grille scam.
The SCAM MR. Evans is on the public.
Why doesn't someone find out how Al Brooks makes $100 grand year after year, and how Aim4Peace spends its $600 grand?
ReplyDelete$700,000 could help hire quite a few actual patrol officers.
KCPD a Bullshit Police Department.
ReplyDelete@ 1:30 - Based on your comments you are obviously a KCMO cop. Let me start my comments by saying I respect how difficult your job is and wouldn't want to do it. So, I am glad there are people like you who are willing to do what appears to be a completely thankless job.
ReplyDeleteNow for my question: Do you really believe "KCPD has more than enough Police Officers?" From this side of State Line it sure doesn't look like it! There are killings going on in your city just about every week, lately quite a few more than once a week. If that many murders were occuring in Shawnee, I would be raising hell with my elected officials to hire more cops to keep my family safe. Hell, I would want to see a cop on every street corner if that is what it took to stop the murders.
Are you saying that if KCPD had another 200 or 300 officers, it won't make any difference on the violent crimes occuring in your city? I find that very hard to believe. I'm really not trying to be a jerk, I just don't understand the logic. Perhaps you, or someone else, could explain it for me?
We could have a police officer in each house and it wouldn't matter. CORWIN got 22 GRAND RAISE IN THE NOVEMBER BEFORE PAY WAS FROZEN, AND ANOTHER 10 LARGE IN JANUARY. HE DID FOREGO 5 GRAND RAISE LAST YEAR OUT OF RESPECT. HE WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO RECOUP THAT.
ReplyDeleteAs long as both elected officals and the police are afraid of being called names and having accusations made against them by the likes of Gwen Grant, Clinto Adams, Al Brooks, and the rest of the usual suspects, nothing's going to change on the east side. These folks have made six-fugure incomes at the expense of their neighborhoods for decades and the electeds are terrified to do what everyone knows has to happen to get much more cooperation between the balck community and the eat side residents. But the shouters have made very good livings by convincing the black community that they're helpless and can only be helped by them. There are many really serious folks who actually represent their neighbors, but the old grifters are standing in the way.
ReplyDeleteWho's gling to man up at city hall and change the status quo. How many more murders do there have to be before someone has the guts to do the right thing?
How about you, Sly?
This is not a problem that money will solve nor is it a problem that can be solved by more police or more laws. As long as there is a growing constituency that refuses to be educated because it's a "white thing". As long as we have a growing constituency that takes absolutely no responsibility for raising it's children with a moral compass, promotes entitlement rather than a work ethic, as long as stealing is an acceptable career path, the majority community cannot 'fix' this. Marches and vigils don't stop a thing. Holding Mrs. Smith accountable for her children roaming the streets at 3am, holding Mrs. Smith accountable for getting her children to school, fed and with enough sleep to function - there's a beginning.
ReplyDelete9/30/11 6:30 PM
ReplyDeleteThanks.
But we have plenty of Police Officers. The problem is not NUMBERS but how what we have is being used.
Having 20 cops sitting around a Unit like Planning and research with little to do is just ONE of many units where productivity is wasted.
You don't need 24 hour planning and research people.
Besides this is a Job a civilian could easily do. You don't need arrest powers and carrying a gun to research policies. It's a Bull shit unit like so many at KCPD so cushion jobs can be created.
Get rid of that. It's staffed it with civilians with half the pay and benefits.
Another unit is Public Media.
Anybody can spew out on TV that " detectives are investigating the case / crime. No suspects are in custody.
You don't need a Captain and a SGT to do that. Do like the rest of the news agencies. It's like being a Weather girl. A talking head telling you it's going to rain.
You could hire a civilian to do that at half the price.
NOT Rocket science.
10/1/11 12:00 AM
ReplyDelete32,000 PAY RAISE FOR BEING THE THIRD MOST DANGEROUS CITY IN THE USA
BULLSHIT.
Depolicing. Look it up.
ReplyDelete