KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Kansas City, Missouri, experiences yet another deadly year of violence, the city's interim chief of police explained the department's efforts to curb the violence.
According to KCPD's most recent homicide data, the city has recorded 79 homicides to date.
79 is the same amount as this time last year, which ended as the second most violent year in KCMO's history, behind 2020.
In a blog, KCPD Interim Chief of Police Joseph Maybin explained four recent changes the department has made.
Those include:
- KC 360 Pilot Program
- Custom notifications
- Impact squads re-deployment
- All-inclusive shoot reviews
According to Maybin, the 360 Pilot Program was modeled from a program in Omaha, Nebraska.
As part of the program, the department works with community partners in areas of prevention, intervention and community engagement.
Maybin said partners in KCMO have requested data from the department on the most violent parts of the cities.
The community partners are then offering services to those areas.
As part of the "custom notifications" effort, KCPD joins partners in going door-to-door to offer alternatives and resources to violence.
The department has also implemented impact squads, which monitor areas of the city that are violent "hot spots."
KCPD analysts identify these areas for the department.
Finally, the department has begun reviewing shots fired incidents where the suspect fired and missed, but the department deems them high of retaliating.
"There's too much violent crime," Maybin said in the post. "Any violence is too much, really, but we have more than we should. When I became Interim Police Chief in April, I said that the Kansas City Missouri Police Department would focus on reducing violent crime and strengthening community relationships."
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