What the hell is wrong with people?

Kansas City (Johnson County Kansas and Jackson County Missouri) is a safe place to live, relatively speaking, but you probably wouldn't guess it based on the events recently. Over the past few weeks Kansas City area citizen's have been on alert due to a series of shootings on highways around the metro area. At first police wouldn't confirm they were related but with more people coming forward with information about their vehicles being shot at, it became apparent that at least some of the shootings were related. As of Friday police indicated that 20 shootings across the area were possibly related and they are following up on at least 75 tips received through TIPS Crime Stoppers hot line regarding the recent shootings. While extra police presence has been noticed on the highways in areas where shootings have been reported, some have decided to avoid the highways if possible. I won't say that I am going out of my way to avoid the highway but certainly when heading somewhere if I have the option of side streets versus highway I have been taking the side streets especially if I am heading towards Three Trails Crossing. More than half of the shootings were in the Grandview, MO area  in the vicinity of the Three Trails Crossing where 71/49, 435 and 470 Highways all meet so when I am heading that direction to go to Wayside Waifs I have been exiting early and taking side roads. I realize taking side roads are not always an option depending on destination so just be aware of your surroundings and report crime if you see it happen. Many times a crime is solved because citizen's report it to police. Police can only be in so many places at once and need assistance from the public. If you see it, report it! Law enforcement on both sides of the state line are stepping up patrol in hopes to keep citizens safe and to learn who is behind the shootings.

Is this a unique situation? To the KC area it is. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen elsewhere, we just tend to focus more on our little corner of the world and right now Kansas Citians' are on edge. It brings me to the question many are asking.... What the hell is wrong with people? (I don't know if we will ever learn the answer.)

On Saturday I volunteered at Rock the Parkway Half Marathon. I am a runner and I enjoy volunteering at races if I haven't been running and don't plan on racing that day. Volunteers are great for races for many reasons. One - they want to be there! You know something is going to be done right when you have people who want to be there and willing to give their time to help. Two - volunteers help keep costs down! It's great to have police presence on the course to keep runners safe but it's expensive to have an officer at every intersection so volunteers are asked to help police keep traffic off the route. Generally officers and volunteers are staggered so that if a volunteer needs assistance from the police an officer is close by. In all the years I have volunteered at races I have only had a couple close calls. This weekend was one of those times. 

It was mere seconds before the lead runner in the half marathon was about to approach the intersection I was volunteering at (pictured above) when a woman in a white minivan decided she was in too much of a hurry to be delayed by a race. I had positioned my car to block the intersection but allowed a little room for vehicles to get through when there was adequate space between runners. I noticed the minivan coming from the north side of the street so I moved in to the space between my car and the stop sign. Knowing the lead runner was close I needed to keep the minivan from entering the intersection and possibly turning right which would lead her straight in to the runners. The police officer assigned to the same intersection was over to the east of my location watching for traffic coming from the south side (it was a weird intersection where it forked to the east and south so an officer & volunteer were assigned to it). He wasn't close enough to help me if someone decided to not listen to my command to stop and unfortunately that is the situation I was facing. The woman in the minivan refused to stop for me. She didn't even slow down. I had to jump out of the way and all I could do was watch as she not only didn't stop for me but blew through the stop sign and then through the east part of the intersection where the officer was. He yelled at her but she still didn't stop. She thankfully headed south instead of continuing east or it could have been a disaster. The runners were coming from the east and clearly she was not concerned about anyone but herself as evident by her unwillingness to listen to me or the officer. That brings me back to my question: What the hell is wrong with people? Other than the minivan everyone else was cooperative despite being delayed to their destinations. I'll keep volunteering at races. It's my way of giving back to a sport I love.

Yesterday, unspeakable tragedy struck the Johnson County Kansas community.  A shooter took 3 lives in two different locations. The first location was the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City located in Overland Park where a grandfather and his grandson were shot to death in their vehicles. The second location was nearby at the Village Shalom, a retirement center, where a woman who has yet to be identified was shot to death in the parking lot. The shootings are believed to be related and possibly a hate crime. The suspect was taken in to custody in a parking lot at a nearby school. He was heard making anti-Semitic comments such as "Heil Hitler". I won't mention the suspects name as he doesn't deserve recognition for his hatred towards mankind. The subject shot at a total of 5 people but thankfully hit only 3 of the 5. A dozen or more shots may have been fired according to police. Police don't believe the suspect knew the victims or others that were shot at. Police increased patrol in areas around Jewish religious centers in case this was a hate crime related to the upcoming Jewish holiday. Extra support was brought in from area agencies as well as the FBI to assist with the investigation.

RIP Reat Underwood, Dr. William Lewis Corporon and Terri Lammano. Reat was a freshman at Blue Valley High School. His grandfather was an area physician who moved to the KC area about a decade ago to be closer to his grandkids. Terri Lammano was an Occupational Therapist for Children's Center for Visually Impaired. May God wrap his loving arms around all those affected by this senseless tragedy.

A prayer vigil was held last night at St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church. The vigil was open to the public and had more than 200 people in attendance to mourn the lives lost.

Blue Valley students mourn the loss of Reat Underwood.

To learn more about this young man taken to soon follow this link: http://www.kctv5.com/story/25255256/blue-valley-high-students-sudden-mourn-loss-of-talented-classmate

Coworkers, family and friends mourn the loss of Terri Lammano.

To learn more about this remarkable woman taken so tragically follow these links:  http://www.kctv5.com/video?clipId=10053383&autostart=true &

 http://www.kctv5.com/video?clipId=10053383&autostart=true

Rather than conclude this post with my previous question, What the hell is wrong with people? I would like to leave with this thought... 

Week 5 - Raytown Police Department Citizen's Academy

Week 5 included Crime Analysis, Crime Scene Investigation, Emergency Management and Q&A with 2 officers from patrol.


Kyle Stoker, a Crime Analyst talked about the Crime Analysis team. The team was put together in 2000. At any given time there are at least 1-2 Crime Analysts on duty. The philosophy is to "Work Smarter, Not Harder!".

Raytown is 9.9 square miles and has approximately 29,000 residents. In 2012, there were 29,306 calls for service, 3062 Incident Reports written, 3395 Arrests, 8297 Tickets handed out and 591 Accidents. It's enough to keep RPD busy but doesn't require as big of a Crime Analysis team as some of the bigger surrounding cities. CAs routinely look at statistics regarding crime patterns, trends and suspects and use tools such as maps, bulletins and forecasts. Career criminals are responsible for most of the crime and that's why Crime Analysis is so important. Only a minimal amount of the crime is random or unpredictable when career criminals are responsible. Most crime is targeted, predictable and connected. Crime includes a victim, offender and a place.

The types of crime that are counted in the statistics often referred to as the "crime rate" include:  Homicide, Rape, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Larceny, Auto Theft and Arson. Raytown sees a steady trend upward in crime like its neighboring cities. Typically when analyzing crime a CA will look at the most recent 3 year period as a comparison. Some 2012 stats Kyle shared with the class include:  19% of burglaries in Raytown happened at a home where the door was unlocked or a window was left open; 57% of theft from cars involved cars that were unlocked; and 45% of cars that were stolen had the keys in them or the car was left unattended while running. Why share these stats? To show that crime is preventable! Some other ways to help prevent crime include:  Neighborhood Watch Groups, Volunteers in Police Service, CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) and Crime Mapping (raidsonline.com).


Next up, Detective Justin Pool discussed Crime Scene Investigation. I went in to great detail about Crime Scene Investigation and what a Crime Laboratory does in my last citizen's academy so I won't go in to much detail here.  If you want to learn more about CSI read my entry about it by following this link Week 11 - Introduction to and Tour of Crime Laboratory - JCSO Citizen's Academy. 

“The dust and debris that cover our clothing and bodies are the mute witnesses, sure and faithful, of all our movements and all our encounters.” ~Edmond Locard (1877-1966), Pioneering French Criminologist

"Trace evidence is one of the most valuable, misunderstood, misused and underutilised forms of physical evidence." ~ Dr. Peter R. De Forest

Raytown Police Department has 7 detectives and all have a role in Crime Scene Investigation. CSI is about Evidence - Statements - Confessions.  Evidence doesn't lie! The role of the first responder (officer) on the scene is to safeguard the scene. They will brief the detectives that arrive on scene. Chain of Custody must be maintained. Ie... what did you get from who, when, where?  Processing a scene includes the following steps:  Interview, Photograph, Search, Diagram, Process, Collect. The final goal is to apprehend the suspect and bring justice to the victim. One CSI must be on call at all times. Crimes investigated include but are not limited to:  Homicide, Suicide, Rape, Robbery, Assault, Burglary, Auto Theft, Forgery, Stealing. The Metro Squad can be called in to assist as needed. Death Investigation is the most common investigation assistance is needed with. The Jackson County Medical Examiner is utilized in cases of Homicide, Suicide and Accidental Death. If evidence is collected that needs to be analyzed by a lab, RPD will send to either the Missouri Highway Patrol Lab in Jefferson City or Kansas City MO Police Department. MHP is generally not as backlogged and is used preferentially by RPD.



Major Stranimier

Major Frank Stranimier spoke about Emergency Management. RPD does not currently have a CERT Program but are hopeful to get one going soon. CERT training is available through Central Jackson County Fire, Kansas City Missouri (I believe it's through the Police Department but could be through Emergency Management) and Blue River Community College. There are programs available on the Kansas side as well which is likely where I will complete my CERT program. The Emergency Management team for RPD is responsible for alerting residents to threats. Most common threats are weather related such as ice storms, tornadoes, flooding. Major Stranimier strongly encourages residents to purchase an all weather radio. (If you purchase at Price Chopper some of the money goes back to the EM department for education). Also stressed was putting together an emergency kit for your family. Other civil emergencies that Emergency Management is responsible for include:  Silver Alerts, Amber Alerts, HazMat Incidents. Information is publicized through Nixel message, Public Service Announcements and of course the local media. RPD is part of MEMC (Metropolitan Emergency Managers Committee) which is part of MARC (Mid America Regional Council). This is a coordinated effort across the metro so that all area communities are getting the same message.

Emergency Management is something I am interested in getting more involved in. I am proud to be a Disaster Services Technician with the American Red Cross and look forward to advancing my training with the Red Cross and through CERT. A community and it's residents can never be too prepared for an emergency! Having been through my own emergency strengthened my resolve to want to do more in my community. 

Last but not least... Officers Joe Holt and Larry Doty talked about their experiences with the department as a new officer (Officer Holt has been with the department for 2 years) and as a seasoned officer (Officer Doty is the longest tenured Officer having started with RPD in 1974). Officer Holt attended the Blue River Community College Police Academy and Officer Doty attended KCMO's Police Academy staying true to RPDs commitment to hire from both academies. Both Officers stressed that they chose RPD because of the small town feel to it versus the big city department. They feel like RPD is a family. They encourage anyone pursuing a career in law enforcement to get support from their family. It is important to have that support in order to have a successful career and home life. I enjoyed the stories both Officers shared. Thanks guys for taking the time to present to the Citizen's Police Academy!


Next week we will be at Blue River Academy for Firearm Safety and FATS Simulator. All class participants will have an opportunity to practice on the FATS Simulator if they want to. Looking forward to it!