Downtown needs larger police presence

[AllThingsKC]

I saw two pairs of bike cops in the Crossroads last night.

Was that because of First Fridays?

[Gretz]

Was that because of First Fridays?

Special events, like at the Sprint Center and, presumably, first Fridays get extra resources patrols on top of the new patrols.  From the brief the officer gave us at the DNA meeting it sounded like the CBD was the bike cops focus, but that they would make forays into the River Market and Crossroads as necessary and adjust their beat to reflect crime patterns on the fly. 

[QueSi2Opie]

Was that because of First Fridays?

I also seen a couple of bike cops at First Fridays along 18th Street near the park at the old KC Star building. Anyhow, here's my First Friday pic in the East Crossroads...

[swampranger]

There's currently about 20 horses and a small crowd gathered in the middle of 10th street in front of the federal reserve. Figure these are our mounties for the arena?  ... or maybe the feds are offering hay rides?

[LenexatoKCMO]

I was just impressed that when the Linwood superfood was knocked over the other night, the cops responded fast enough to chase them from the scene and actually cought the guys a few blocks away.  There definitely seems to be an increased presence around the last week+

[dangerboy]

At my neighborhood association meeting this week, a KCPD officer mentioned that the department is considering a plan to redraw the precinct boundaries so that the Central Patrol would have a smaller area and could direct more resources to Downtown and such.  One idea is to move Central Patrol's southern boundary from Brush Creek to about 39th, which would move the Plaza to Metro Patrol and free up a lot of resources for Downtown.

[DaveKCMO]

I was just impressed that when the Linwood superfood was knocked over the other night, the cops responded fast enough to chase them from the scene and actually cought the guys a few blocks away.  There definitely seems to be an increased presence around the last week+

aren't those checkers behind an inch of plexiglas?

[LenexatoKCMO]

aren't those checkers behind an inch of plexiglas?

Not at the Superfood. 

[swampranger]

I was way off about those horses. It was a cattle drive. Just watched about 30 or so cows get run down Grand towards the power and light district.

[Sparty]

At my neighborhood association meeting this week, a KCPD officer mentioned that the department is considering a plan to redraw the precinct boundaries so that the Central Patrol would have a smaller area and could direct more resources to Downtown and such.  One idea is to move Central Patrol's southern boundary from Brush Creek to about 39th, which would move the Plaza to Metro Patrol and free up a lot of resources for Downtown.

It is going to happen.  Except CPD's boundaries are going to extend farther east as well.  It currently stops at Wabash, but when they shift the boundary, it'll either go to Benton or Indiana.  Those aren't what we call low crime areas, so there will still be just as much or more calls for service.  However, they won't have to deal with blocking off the streets and crowd control in Westport and P&L.

[Beermo]

who's got the cop car number codes?

i have a lot of them, but am looking for specific numbers for their shops. also looking for 2 digit numbers assigned and the new 600's. also looking for tactical numbers. plus supervisor/sergeant numbers.

[KCPowercat]

Went out tonight before and during the concert to see all the law enforcement/bumblebees/etc in action...it might be good for the 4 bike cops to not all sit in one position together talking....is it too much to ask to actually patrol in 2's?  Hell, patrol in 4's....sitting 1/2 block from the sprint center isn't really doing much.

Glad to see the bumblebees spread out at corners helping people and walking around the area.

[Sportster]

At my neighborhood association meeting this week, a KCPD officer mentioned that the department is considering a plan to redraw the precinct boundaries so that the Central Patrol would have a smaller area and could direct more resources to Downtown and such.  One idea is to move Central Patrol's southern boundary from Brush Creek to about 39th, which would move the Plaza to Metro Patrol and free up a lot of resources for Downtown.

Depending on where you live, it could help you - or not.
The biggest thing I saw was that all the area along 40 hwy. out east near Lees Summit and such would be moved into South Zone from EPD. The Benton Blvd boundary starts at Independence Ave and goes south from there. Pendleton Heights will now ALL be in CPD. Scarritt will still have to "deal" with EPD. No manpower shift fro EPD - which is good.
Changes take effect on Jan 1, 2008.

Sportster
...now when do we get a good prosecutor? 

[DaveKCMO]

Went out tonight before and during the concert to see all the law enforcement/bumblebees/etc in action...it might be good for the 4 bike cops to not all sit in one position together talking....is it too much to ask to actually patrol in 2's?  Hell, patrol in 4's....sitting 1/2 block from the sprint center isn't really doing much.

i was afraid this would happen... patrol SC and nothing else. dammit! i guess it's better than nothing, but you know the same crack whore is trolling around ilus davis park just a few blocks away.

[KCPowercat]

I'm not even asking them to go clean up the east side alone but how about patroling up and down the major pedestrian thoroughfares from parking garage to arena?  the arena had enough cops already with cops in their cars.

[Gretz]

Went out tonight before and during the concert to see all the law enforcement/bumblebees/etc in action...it might be good for the 4 bike cops to not all sit in one position together talking....is it too much to ask to actually patrol in 2's?  Hell, patrol in 4's....sitting 1/2 block from the sprint center isn't really doing much.

Glad to see the bumblebees spread out at corners helping people and walking around the area.

i was afraid this would happen... patrol SC and nothing else. dammit! i guess it's better than nothing, but you know the same crack whore is trolling around ilus davis park just a few blocks away.

This anecdotal encounter is hardly sufficient to conclude that the new bike cops will do no patrolling or good anywhere.  I'm sure some of you may have noticed that co-workers tend to gather together whether at water coolers, etc. occasionaly for brief chats during the day.  I've twice seen the bike cops on patrol in the evening/night actually doing work, once in the abandoned surface parking sea of the north loop and another time in front of Tanners/Quaff.  Might be a little hasty to completely write off the new bike cop patrol because someone once saw them hanging out together for a quick chat...

[KCPowercat]

twice in an hour?  no doubt they will stop and i got no problem with it...cops do a great job...just seemed at that point they could have held off on the chat....wait for the majority of the crowd to be in the arena.

[scooterj]

Well, I too must now throw my hat in and ask:  what happened to the bike cops?

I was out and about downtown last evening from 5:45 to about 8:15.  I started at the Commerce Bank Building, walked to Zoo Bar, then to Red Dragon, then to Cafe Al Dente. 

I saw one Bee near 11th & Walnut and never saw any police whatsoever.  Not in cars, not on horses, not on bikes, not on foot, nowhere.

What I did see, though, was multiple bums working the area around 12th & Grand VERY hard, harrassing and following every group of people in cowboy hats that passed by on their way to the concert.  Not one cop nor bee anywhere in sight to deal with the problem.

These bums were coordinating their efforts openly, too, shouting across the street at each other asking each other about the results of their efforts so that the others would know which groups of concert-goers were giving up their cash.

The bike cops need to start making themselves visible in places other than 14th & Grand like they did before the arena opened or their presence is pointless.

[dangerboy]

These bums were coordinating their efforts openly, too, shouting across the street at each other asking each other about the results of their efforts so that the others would know which groups of concert-goers were giving up their cash.

Did you call the cops? 

[scooterj]

No because I knew that technically what was going on is not illegal, just annoying.    A visible police presence would discourage such behavior.

It's like the police are forgetting that the throngs of people they are protecting in front of the arena are arriving from somewhere, typically within a 2-5 block radius.  How hard would it be to pedal around a few blocks?