KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The expansion of the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office’s Crime Strategies Unit seeks to enhance public safety through “innovative, data-driven approaches.”
Three prosecutors will be appointed to the unit dedicated to taking a “more proactive role in analyzing crime data” and handling cases of offenders with “extensive criminal history and high risk for violent and serious criminal activity,” per the prosecutor’s office.
In a press conference Monday, Prosecutor Melesa Johnson explained the vision is for the unit to “track repeat offenders, identify patterns [and] ensure repeat offenders are held accountable.”
“Allowing us to connect the dots between incidents and recognize when we are dealing with serial offenders. Not only will this help us build strong cases that lead to appropriate changes, but inspire behavioral changes in the long run,” Johnson said.
She explained property crimes often “erode trust” and “undermine the sense of safety every resident in Jackson County deserves.”
Thus, the goal of the unit is to be strategic in identifying those “who are causing the most harm in our community.”
Ben Cox, Crime Strategies Unit chief trial assistant, said crimes reviewed will range from gang murders to misdemeanors.
“Lower level crimes, when done by repeat offenders to the same people, can have significant impact, too. Our unit is going to deal with all kinds of crimes like that,” Cox said.
He said targeted individuals will include those who have committed two or more felonies or three or more misdemeanors against a single business, person or community.
“We can work with victims and police to ensure enough evidence exists to charge these high-impact offenders, then we’ll communicate with the court about why these people should be kept in jail," he said.
Along with the three prosecutors assigned to the unit, CSU will partner with SAVE KC, the focused deterrence program of the prosecutor’s office, University of Missouri-Kansas City interns, data analysts and a Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department liaison.
With help from neighborhood groups and community engagement, the unit is confident it can ensure “violent offenders are prosecuted effectively.”
“Kansas City is fed up with the gun violence in our streets and the prolific property crime offenders who diminish our quality of life,” said Claire Wyatt, assistant prosecuting attorney.
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.