KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Kansas City, Missouri, officials announce additional police resources and funding, a group of businesses in the River Market has banded together to consolidate security with a private security firm.
Sean O'Byrne, vice president of Business Development Executive Director, Community Improvement District for the Downtown Council of Kansas City, talked more about the firm.
"We basically created a small police force down here between the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., and those are those are going to be uniform secured officers," O'Byrne said.
The announcement was distributed to businesses Thursday.
The new overnight security program is set to take effect at 10 p.m. Thursday. It's bringing piece of mind to area businesses.
"We're going to have a presence of some people down here that are keeping an eye on things where we haven't had that for years," said Geoff Myer, manager of Planters Seed & Spice Co. "People think they can do whatever they want because there's not a lot of people watching them."
River Market Community Improvement District would manage Signal Security for overnight security. The new firm replaces the existing company, Asset Protection.
"This is a coordinated service. We get more bang for our buck instead of six different security companies in the area not talking to each other and going in different directions if something occurs," O'Byrne said. "There is 100% communication with all of their [security] people in the field, they'll have communication with our dispatch, and I'll have communications with KCPD. That's how we're going to change things here through the market."
News of the private security firm came in the same week as police and city officials announced plans to beef up policing after a months-long string of break-ins and robberies at many small and locally-owned businesses.
On Thursday, Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas announced an effort to secure $1 million to help bolster security in several of the city’s entertainment districts, including 18th and Vine, Downtown, Crossroads Arts District, River Market, Country Club Plaza, Westport and Zona Rosa.
"The city is proud to fully fund KCPD's salary and personnel requests and will work closely with them as the department works to boost staffing over the years ahead,” KCMO Mayor Lucas in a press release issued Thursday. "But we cannot wait and are committed to ending the current challenges our small business community faces, as burglaries continue, violent and tragic incidents occur, and impacted neighborhoods ask for help."
At Tuesday’s Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners meeting, police officials announced plans to launch a new squad that will be focused on hot spots.
"Cities are cyclical. It's how you react to them that makes a difference," O'Byrne said. "We do need more uniformed officers, which maybe that means more pay, but it certainly should be a wage that is deserving of the harm they put themselves in."
The Community Improvement District says it is presenting a monetary request to the Public Improvement Advisory Commission for $290,000 to fund River Market security cameras with license plate recognition functionality, set for approval in April.
"This will be the safest district in the entire city," O'Byrne said.
The group of seven people will start working on Sunday, Jan. 19, and work mostly late-night shifts.
Beginning Thursday, three uniformed officers marked in River Market vehicles will patrol a 32-block radius. If the new security detail were to come across suspicious individuals, they are to gather information and report directly to KCPD.
"We don't want anyone getting hurt," O'Byrne said. "We need to work with KCPD; information gathering will help with the adjudication process."
Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Melesa Johnson also spoke about providing resources from the prosecutor’s office.
O'Byrne said its 16 businesses in the River Market District won't feel the fiscal impact of the new security detail.
Money used to fund the project won't impact local businesses; it's built into dues paid to the district.
It's a breath of fresh air for local businesses as solutions come to fruition.
"We've been here 100 years and we've seen all kinds of stuff from beat cops walking around here to no coverage at all," Myer said. "It's like everything else, the streetcar, CID people, the cleanup, the ambassadors, they just keep adding layers to make the area more comfortable to come down and have a good time."
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