TKC BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE NEWS!!! SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN REPORTING STANDARDS CONTRIBUTE TO DRAMATIC DECLINE IN KANSAS CITY HOMICIDE NUMBERS!!! OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTINGS RULED 'JUSTIFIED' NO LONGER COUNT!!!

Politicos in Kansas City are touting sharply declining homicide numbers but FAIL to mention some rather significant changes in reporting standards.

To wit . . .

SPECIAL THANKS TO KCPD INSIDERS FOR HELP IN OFFERING JUST A GLIMPSE OF SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO HOMICIDE REPORTING IN KANSAS CITY!!!

Brief TKC observation . . . While politicos are busy chest thumping, pay attention to authorities who are much more cautious in their talk about declining violence in KC Proper. If reduced crime is going to become an election issue, then the public has the right to know the whole story.

Accordingly, here's the first important passage from Kansas City Police Department Insiders regarding recent reporting changes:

"There have been no changes to way homicides are counted. I believe your question pertains to what has become known as the blue sheet, the Investigation Bureau's daily homicide numbers: The numbers reported each year to the State are based on Uniform Crime Reporting standards. These are the official numbers. The blue sheet recently changed to reflect homicides using UCR standards of reporting"

So the CHANGE has been to the reporting and not the counting. Another insider asked an important question . . . Has this reporting change been applied to all previous years so that we can have an accurate set of data to compare and contrast (???). . . Just a brief look at the "Blue sheet" would suggest that the answer is no.

For me, here's the most important passage:

"The blue sheet had previously included officer involved shootings that had been ruled justified. However, UCR numbers count only criminal homicides, not ones that have been ruled justified."

And so . . .

WITH "JUSTIFIED" HOMICIDES OUT OF THE MIX . . . THE BLUE SHEET NO LONGER GIVES AN ACCURATE GAUGE OF VIOLENCE ON LOCAL STREETS BUT INSTEAD IS MERELY A STATISTICAL TOOL!!! 

Moreover . . .

KANSAS CITY RESIDENTS NEED AN ACCURATE COUNT OF ALL HOMICIDES ON LOCAL STREETS AVAILABLE ONLINE . . . SO FAR THAT DOESN'T EXIST!!!

Again, KCPD has been EXCEPTIONALLY FORTHRIGHT AND COOPERATIVE in relaying this information . . . We're just writing e-mails and asking. Today's post was inspired by a lot of political hype about the homicide decline WITHOUT ANY DETAILED EXPLANATION BEHIND THE NUMBERS or any questions from the MSM.

Honestly, this stuff should be covered by mainstream media newsies but they really aren't asking these questions any longer. This post merely hopes to inspire a bit more critical thinking about the numbers without blindly accepting the data or talking points from any politico.

UNTIL ALL OF THE KANSAS CITY HOMICIDE DATA IS PUBLICLY AVAILABLE POLITICOS SHOULDN'T ASK VOTERS TO BELIEVE THE HYPE ABOUT A DRAMATIC DECLINE IN HOMICIDES!!! ALSO, ACKNOWLEDGING RECENT REPORTING CHANGES THIS YEAR WOULD BE NICE TOO!!!

Luckily, there's good news here . . . KCPD insiders tell us . . .

"A database is being developed that will allow the automated retrieval of up to date numbers on all information for each inclusive year."

Hopefully this database will be made available to the public because newsies are no longer willing to ask tough questions so it's up to KCPD to keep voters informed rather than promote the economic development agenda of mostly failing politicos.

Developing . . .