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!