We've got a lot more coming up this morning but let's start the day with a bit of Kansas City local government Internet push back.
To wit . . .
CHECK OUT KCPD CHIEF FORTÉ FACT CHECKING CRITICS OF THE UPCOMING KANSAS CITY TRAFFIC TICKET CRACKDOWN!!!
Now, we first heard about the upcoming traffic ticket crackdown a couple of weeks ago . . . Now Dead Tree Media is offering their spin . . . Drivers beware: Kansas City police are writing more traffic tickets
But even more interestingly . . .
CHECK OUT THE KCPD CHIEF CONFRONTING ONLINE CRITICS OF THE MOVE WITH A TRAGIC LOCAL STAT!!!
To a critic questioning the use of resources . . . The Chief writes:
"Share your sentiments with some of the family and friends of the 19 traffic fatality victims who've died this yr."
Like it or not, the reality check using local stats in this thread rings true.
Moreover, the teaching moment of this post reveals not only that the local Internets discourse is great for sharing information but also that Kansas City drivers would be wise to obey the rules of the road from now on . . .
Developing . . .
Don't speed, no ticket. Simple enough.
ReplyDeleteTake it and like it,Honky Lippz!!!
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing quite like having a city government that pays no real attention to providing serious services to the actual residents and businesses in the city and then makes believe it conducts public policy discussions on Twitter.
ReplyDeleteThe innovation capital of the USA!
Click it or ticket ...oops I meant, click it or be ready to show your papers and possibly be patted down and have your vehicle searched.
ReplyDeleteBut its all for your own good.
Just obey the fucking laws and you shouldn't get a ticket. Duh!
ReplyDeleteTraffic enforcement does three things: one: catches and punishes people who violate laws that were written to enhance safety. two: puts cops in contact with a wide spectrum of people that often results in capture of wanted and dangerous violent criminals and finally, three: ticket writing and enforcement generate revenue for the government.
ReplyDeleteI'm good with the first two but if $$$$ becomes the primary reason for ticket writing then we are in trouble.
Do traffic fatalities count in the homicide rate?
ReplyDeleteDo police chases that result in a fatality count as a traffic fatality and/or in the homicide rate?
Do police shootings count in the homicide rate?
Bend over, whitey.
ReplyDeleteWe know that YOU will cough it up.
6:50
ReplyDeleteNo
Traffic Fatality
Yes
From NAACP…
ReplyDeleteThe NAACP will again keep a close watch on the City of Myrtle Beach and local businesses this holiday weekend as annual Black Bike Week festivities commence.
For the fifth consecutive year, the NAACP will conduct Operation Bike Week Justice to monitor activities in the resort town during the annual Memorial Day weekend gathering of African American motorcycle enthusiasts. Throughout the weekend, NAACP teams will be monitoring police activity and treatment of black tourists, observing the practices of local businesses and watching traffic patterns.
In recent years, the NAACP and African Americans have filed and successfully settled federal discrimination lawsuits against the city of Myrtle Beach and area businesses for unequal treatment of Black Bike Week visitors compared to those who attend Harley Week, traditionally held one week earlier and a predominately white event.
Negotiated settlements have been reached with the City of Myrtle Beach, Damon’s Oceanfront and Barefoot Landing, Greg Norman’s Australian Grill and six other businesses.
“The NAACP remains vigilant in order to ensure all tourists are treated equally,” said NAACP Interim General Counsel Angela Ciccolo. “When necessary, the NAACP will continue to pursue litigation to right these wrongs.”
“Any form of racial discrimination against Black Bike Week visitors will not be tolerated,” said NAACP Vice President of Stakeholder Relations Nelson B. Rivers, III, a native South Carolinian. “Closing businesses or refusing to provide equal services to Black Bike Week visitors that are provided to visitors at other times of the year, not only makes no economic sense, it is against the law.”
As a result of the NAACP’s hard work, several restaurants that were closed in prior years have opened their doors and welcomed black bikers. And now, the Myrtle Beach Police Department uses the same traffic pattern on Ocean Boulevard from 29th Avenue North to 17th Avenue South, during the times of 2:00 p.m. to midnight on Harley and Black Bike weekends. Under a settlement agreement, the Myrtle Beach Police Department must also train all officers deployed during Black Bike Week on policing crowds and cultural sensitivity.
8 SHOT AND 3 KILLED DURING "BLACK BIKERS WEEKEND".
MAYBE THE CHIEF FORTE SHOULD GET THE NAACP IN HERE TO HELP US ALL OUT.
I have driven over 500,000 miles, no serious accidents. About 1/3 of those miles in KCMO. Traffic tickets in KCMO - 7. Traffic tickets in the rest of the country - 0.
ReplyDeleteI guarantee you that Sly and the council jumped Forte about revenue and this is the result. It's happened before when the department shifted focus from traffic to crime. Traffic enforcement pays the bill.
ReplyDeleteCK - Clusterfuck Kansascity
ReplyDeleteThe tickets are not the issue. KCPD is pulling officers out of the patrol area to write tickets. Shouldn't these same officers be in the high crime areas where speeding is not the biggest issue. 19 traffic fatalities are those in KC proper? I would need to see that stat, was speeding involved? Was it on Wornall/Brookside, yep saw 4 cops shooting radar there on friday.
ReplyDeleteIf you knew how many hundreds of officers and specialized units are still working in these areas you would be complaining about 40-50 traffic officers. As for traffic officers they typically conduct enforcement in areas which have high accidents based on statistics. They also do enforcement based on traffic complaints from citizens which anyone can make. 234-5000
Delete*Wouldn't be complaining about 40-50 traffic officers.* Damn auto correct
DeleteAnd they just put about 20 officers back in the city from the courts and other areas plus 30 something new recruits from the academy
DeleteTKC BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE NEWS!!! I OBJECT TO KC POLICE ACTUALLY ENFORCING LAWS ON THE BOOKS!!!
ReplyDeleteBend over cracker..it'll only hurt for a minute.
ReplyDeleteTranslation: I got a ticket so I'm going to pretend I didn't do anything wrong by connecting it to something with only a causal relationship...
ReplyDeleteTraffic cops don't investigate murders. And homicide detectives don't usually write traffic tickets.
Once again, the soundbite mentality highlights our collective ignorance, but hey - lemme take a selfie.
Timothy McVeigh was stopped on a traffic violation after the Oklahoma City bombing. You'd be surprised at how many violent felons and criminals are caught on simple traffic stops.
ReplyDeleteAbout 20 years ago I ran a red light downtown and a damn paddy wagon lit me up & wrote me a ticket ..weird huh? I know.
ReplyDeleteThey need to put traffic police from 63rd to Volker on Rockhill, same streets on Troost, Paseo and Brookside Boulevard.
ReplyDeleteWhat is wrong with having law abiding citizens ?
ReplyDelete909 Spot On
ReplyDeleteTraffic cops could sit on prospect from I70 to 75st and write tickets all day long.I'm talking jackpot!
ReplyDeleteOh,I forgot ..they want to pull over people who will actually show up for court and,or actually pay the fine.
Hey dumbass, Timothy McVeigh was driving up the interstate at eighty miles an hour, no tags, etc. Ya think he might have wanted to get stopped??
ReplyDeleteSo are half the people in th city so whats your point 937
DeleteMeanwhile, Glenn Miller drives his dunken,pilled-up,ugly ass up from the Ozarks then proceeds to booze it up more and drive around the metro..wtf!
ReplyDeleteThe comments on my Facebook are 90% favorable to the renewed enforcement. Those commenting believe that traffic enforcement has become lax over the past decade.
ReplyDeleteIt's about the money not about if enforcement was an issue I would rather they enforce the homicide rate. That needs help not traffic.
ReplyDeleteGot to make up for those red light cameras somehow. Forte is full of shit.
ReplyDelete@ChiefForte and @kcpolice - don't you have a department to run instead of responding to comments on Twitter?
ReplyDeleteDoesn't the KCPD have a public information officer? What kind of message are you sending the public by following social media instead of working to lead the city's police department? We want you to enforce the laws, protect citizens and their property, and continually strive to work more efficiently.
I find it really funny how alot of you are bashing forte and kcmo but probably dont live or work in the city. I dont see anyone talking about the fox 4 story last night about overland park pd stopping everyone for seatbelts and speeding.
ReplyDeleteIt's more dangerous to drive on suburban highways than live in the ghetto.
ReplyDeleteSorry, rubes. Facts is facts.
Now bag to your ceaseless suburbanite fear-spam.
Are we to believe that all of those traffic fatalities happened because someone was speeding? How many were collateral damage from law enforcement's high-speed chases?
ReplyDeleteIt Is so progressive to see Forte turn a police department into butch boys, little hoes and meter maids. Cops in other towns follow the goings on at KCPD for chits and grins. Amazing that the single most expensive department in the city is now being used as an enemy of the citizens for the sole purpose of generating revenues lost via red light cams. When those cock suckers in city hall get done getting even and having their turn with us I hope the dumb fuck citizens of LC sober up and remember to make it to the voting booth. Funkhouser walks on water compared to the hoodlum mother fuckers in office now. The idea that the police department rank and file just jumps on the bandwagon better serve as a reminder to folks next time the cops want to blow money on some bullshit project.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteWhy did Tony remove his post from the other day about the "Bring Back Our Girls" local protesters?
Somebody have second thoughts about being identified with this movement?
5/26/14, 11:02 PM
Blogger Tony said...
I didn't delete or remove anything.
D-bag.
5/26/14, 11:02 PM
OK....maybe I'm a douchebag....but...I swear you had a post about the Nigerian "Bring Back Our Girls" protesters here in KC, and you included several photos of the protestors with the posting. And the other day it went missing from the chronological thread of posts.
Really NOT a big deal, but I noticed it was gone and wondered why? Hey, if I overlooked it or am remembering incorrectly, then you can call me a douchebag, but since you usually don't delete posts it caught my attention.
If you drink and drive drunk....you're a NIGGER!
ReplyDelete12:02 You are a douchebag.
ReplyDeleteWhat you are remembering was one of a group of headlines with a link to the story, it wasn't a full posting by TKC. He didn't remove anything. Good to know that he reads all the comments here though.
I love how the cops are spinning this as a safety issue and not a revenue generating issue. Yeah, the same cops who will turn a minor traffic offense into a chase through town and a funeral are worried about your safety....right!
ReplyDeleteMayor Sly is putting together a very competitive bid so see if KC gets "Black Biker Week" next year.
ReplyDelete128, you obviously don't know KCPD's chase policy which only includes drivers who a clear and present danger to the public and violent felons/felonies (robbery, homicide, rape, etc.). KCK and Independence chase everything.
ReplyDeleteToni Bones is not going to like this. No more sloppy BJ's for Tony.
ReplyDeleteKansas City Missouri is known as the city where one could literally do what ever the hell they wanted behind the wheel of the car. This is largely due to the fact that the police rarely enforce traffic laws because they have their hands tied up doing other things.
ReplyDeletePeople who have been driving like complete fucking assholes for years are finally getting stopped, and it now the sky's falling.
How about people slow down, use their turn signals, and stop at stop lights/signs for a fucking change.
If you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. Don't do stupid shit, and you won't get a ticket. Fucking easy.
Chief Forte wouldn't let the traffic officers write tickets in the ghetto hot spots, but directed them to unleash the fury on the white folks everywhere else. The Chief needs to be put on the spot and asked if there have been any discussions with the city about increasing the police budget if ticket revenue increases. Those discussions have absolutely happened.
ReplyDelete