by Mary Rupert
Kansas City, Kan., police are starting two new initiatives.
There will be a new emphasis on courtesy, according to Assistant Chief Vince Davenport of the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department.
“We want to train and encourage officers to display outward courtesy in every situation in order to shape the experience,” he told the Unified Government Commission at the Dec. 18 meeting.
People will always remember their contact with police, and will share their experiences. The police will emphasize to officers that every contact matters, he said.
They will also employ surveys to provide officers with direct feedback on people’s opinions about their effectiveness and courteousness, he said. Brochures will be handed out to all victims of crime, giving them the opportunity to send in comments via the police department survey website, a mailed-in comment form or a smart phone.
He said there also is a plan later to recognize officers for their courteousness, after survey results are in.
New Police Chief Terry Zeigler also made a presentation to the commission, about a new video on car stops made by the police department.
The video included students from Schlagle High School and school resource officers.
Zeigler said there are plans to show the video in the community, including at schools and at neighborhood meetings.
Also, police will hand out information about what to do when people are involved in a car stop by police.
Commissioner Gayle Townsend, who initiated this car stop educational effort, said that youth will have a tool set to use if they are in a car stop.
Commissioner Townsend also made an appeal to citizens to provide information about unsolved drive-by killings of youth in the community.
“There should be no safe harbor for dream killers,” she said. “We don’t need to go to another candlelight vigil.”
