TKC MUST READ!!! TAX FIGHTERS DECRY KANSAS CITY 911 WAIT TIMES AND BUSTED CITY HALL BUDGET PRIORITIES!!!
We've been talking about the fight for more KCPD dispatchers for the past few weeks and today a local voter group offers a statement on the topic.
Take a look:
Citizens For Responsible Government KCMO: Police Budget
Crime in Kansas City, MO has gotten out of control. Last year our murder rate hit 149, the highest number of murders since the crack infused killing fields of 1993 when 153 people were murdered in Kansas City. There were 131 murders on 2016. Unfortunately this ranks Kansas City as one of the most murderous cities in the United States the trend is going to only increase unless something gets done and fast. Our city is drastically short officers, homicide detectives and yes 911 call operators.
Residents calling 911 have been put on hold because of the overwhelming volume of calls. Unfortunately in the case of Jim Cavanaugh, owner of Clint’s comics there was a tragic end. During the robbery of his store an altercation occurred and he was shot. This should never have happened. Folks called 911 and were left on hold for 17 minutes. Ultimately, Mr. Cavanaugh died. Unfortunately this problem is not getting better. Angie Ricono, KCTV5’s investigative reporter has been reporting on this, what she has found is disturbing. The average hold times for KCMO residents calling 911 is twice the national average, and the hold times are growing
The day following Christmas it was 19.28 minutes.
The Police Department has presented the city their 2018-2019 budget and is asking for an increase of 30 police officers, and 21 - 911 operators. This would increase the number of police officers to 2009 levels. An increase of 3.6% or $8.8mm (roughly half of what the Mayor and City Manager are proposing to give to Cordish to fund another Power & Light apartment building garage).
The Mayor and City Manger have countered with a paltry increase of only 8 - 911 operators and only 15 police officers. With the 911 wait times and the city’s increasing crime levels that’s not nearly enough. Given our Mayor’s antagonism to the increase it will be an uphill battle but one that needs to be waged. It will require citizens calling their council members and telling them that we need more cops on the beat and more 911 operators to field calls. Remember the 911 operators also field calls for fire and the ambulance services. Residents with health problems should not have to wait 20 minutes for an operator to respond.
The City’s proposed budget is $1.7B, the police budget takes up 15%, (not the 76%the Mayor claims) and we need to give our officers all they need to get the job done. Our lives depend on it.
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You decide . . .
Sly doesn't care about police.
ReplyDeleteThey obviously don't donate enough to his campaign.
They say that public safety budget is more than 50% but that doesn't include all of the overtime raises for KCFD.
DeleteYou better shut up about about the FD. They will let you die.....if you ever get through on 911.
DeleteBut we need another police memorial
ReplyDeleteKCPD blew on the money on new toys.
ReplyDelete^^^^
ReplyDeleteWell if the blacks would stop killing and shooting the city up the police wouldn't have had to buy new toys!
I thought the police wanted to focus on community outreach? we don't need new helicopters, drones, tanks and computers for that. It's about talking and listening to the neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteKC needs a better budget plan, all of this development is not paying the bills.
ReplyDeleteNote to self--when visiting Westport or the Plaza, if emergency, call an Uber.
ReplyDeleteJust tell them you are VISITING an ER, eg St. Luke's. Going to support someone in the ER, bringing a loved one their insurance info, etc.
Do NOT reveal you are having a health challenge or are a victim of a crime, because Uber will not dispatch, and drivers will not carry you if they know.
Just get the hell out of where you are.
I suppose if it's a crime without a physical health challenge, one could just Uber to the closest PD, and walk in to make a report.
I know. A scene out of a Wes Anderson movie. But better than dying while waiting on hold with 911.
KCPD is a lost cause.
ReplyDeleteIt’s not that they don’t have enough 911 operators, but most of the ones they have are total retards. For whatever reason, to get any job with the KCPD, you have to first qualify as a retard.
ReplyDeleteApplication got denied cause of that goat fucking felony, didn’t it?
DeleteMore than a 15 second wait on 911 is totally unacceptable. Any Mayor with half a brain would clear his desk of everything and deal with this issue till it was restructured and operating as it should.
ReplyDeleteBut we all know Sly is lacking in that department.
Help Wanted
ReplyDeleteDo you have absolutely no skills or intelligence whatsoever? By some miracle did you graduate from some high school? Did you flunk most of your classes? If so, the KCPD needs you! You can have a long rewarding career, eating doughnuts and collecting overtime! Apply now!
God bless the K.C.P.D. Communications Unit.
ReplyDeleteBut at least we have a streetcar.
ReplyDeleteIs this the same group of tax fighters who told us the water department would be charging us $510 a month for a meter?
ReplyDeleteYeah, these figures can surely be trusted!
I wonder how many 911 calls are true emergencies.
ReplyDeleteBuy more informants, only way to get gangs.
ReplyDeleteShoot more gang members and save the money for informants.
DeleteThrowing more money at a broken system isn't the answer. Whenever a KC department fails, the commentators on this blog tend to always say more money is the answer. The local government already takes 1% of everything I earn, about 10% of every dollar I spend, plus real estate and personal property taxes. The city has enough money and I don't want to give them any ideas of proposing a new sales and/or property tax (already painful to believe our city approved a property tax for a dog shelter and a sales tax to help just a small portion of the city on the east side).
ReplyDeleteThe real problem is the democrats not letting the police and the justice system do their job to prosecute and detain the criminals. Plus many of the residents do no want to help police, which is a failure of the inner city society.
The mayor has it out for he KCMO PD. He doesn't have control over the PD so he refuses to fully fund it. It's payback for not having control and his attitude endangers the lives of the voting public. We all know he doesn't really care. It's a good thing he doesn't have control of the PD, he would really fuck it up.
ReplyDelete^^^He’d hire Sherry McIntyre as chief.
ReplyDelete