St. Pat's '07: The police plan

Star story today on the police department's review of this year's St. Patrick's Day parade:

• Kansas City police may need more officers at next year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade and may need to distribute them differently.
• Police also may want to add a third pedestrian crossing and encourage more officers to work behind the barricades, where the crowds are.
• The parade was marred this year by at least seven fights, gunfire and two arrests involving guns. Overall, police made 11 arrests (no, seven - see update).
• Police said the area grew crowded because many late-arriving spectators came from the east and could not cross to the west side because of barricades and downtown construction. The crowded conditions contributed to several fights and caused some people to panic, police said.

The review apparently reduced the number of fights from 10 to seven. From The Star March 18:

• Police broke up at least 10 fights, tackled a gunman and nearly shot a juvenile who had a toy gun. They arrested two men for aggravated assault, one for narcotics possession, and one man for carrying a concealed weapon. In addition, seven persons were arrested for city violations.

Police will also talk about the review at today's police board meeting. And cops will meet with parade organizers this week. See my report from that meeting.

Star coverage of past St. Pat's parades:
2005 Breezy day, breezy parade, 3 arrests
2004 Parade security concerns police, 17 arrests
2003 15-20 arrests, no other disturbances
2002 Underage drinkers warned
2001 Tame St. Patrick's Day
2000 Grand as can be, no arrests mentioned
1999 Blue sky, 8 arrests
1998 Cold and rainy, few arrests
1997 Less drinking but 8 arrests
1996 Few problems, 1 arrests
1995 300K Monday parade, no arrests
1994 Sunday parade, small crowd
1993 Sunday parade, 39 degrees
1992 Rowdy youth, gang signs flashed

 

Comments

[SICK AND TIRED]

I CAN MAKE IT EASIER WITH FEWER COPS
ON THE STREETS...
JUST DON'T LET ANY AFRICAN AMERICANS
ONTO THE PARADE ROUTE. THATS IS EASY..
IT DOESNT COST A LOT OF OVERTIME FOR THE
COPS...VIOLENCE/FIGHTS/ROBBERIES DROP TO
ZERO AND EVERYONE HAS A GOOD TIME WHILE
KC SAVES THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO USE
ON THE STADIUMS...A GREAT IDEA..........

[t]

That should stir the pot. Way to spark a controversy. David Duke would be proud.

I know, Lets have a parade and record it, make it a film and view it only in the comfort of our home. That also means no parade watchers. Lets not interact anymore and just live in our own homes.

[Jeff]

We are going to have to come to the conclusion that there is no way to make this parade a family event anymore. I can handle the occasional drunk person stamering along the street and blabbering, I can handle the rowdy kids pushing and shoving. I can handle pretty much all of it with the exception of the kid with the ozie. I have always attended this parade, I will never attend it again. The safety of my family is of more value to me than this event.

It's getting to the point that when you attend almost any event in KC you are basically taking your life and the life of your family in to your own hands. It's a sad state of affairs, but it's true. Don't blame the cops on this one folks, it's a part (although small) of the citizenry that create the majority of the problems. What is the solution? I would like to hear some good honest suggestions to this problem.

ideas:
1. free rap concert on other side of town during parade
2. charge $1 entry fee
3. put metal detectors outside
4. require parade watchers to have a job if over the age of 18 or under age of 60.

why not stop the racist stuff and talk intelligently. white privileged kids from johnson county should keep their daddy's car on the kansas side and no harm will come to them. cry babies, cry.