Unfettered Letters

Cutting police budget would betray trust

Dear City Council,
 
How could you cut the Kansas City Police Department budget by $12 million, despite the public outcry for public safety? The contention that the cut is $6 million with $6 million in grants is nothing but spin.

Police Chief Jim Corwin’s contention that officers will be pulled from the streets is not just spin. Civilians perform vital functions at the Police Department. Corwin will need to backfill those now-vacant positions with the only staff he will have left — officers. The Department was asked, by city management, to “civilianize” its staff, and now you are criticizing Corwin for that.
 
The various Council propositions, stated as mandates, about the Department budget details are more spin, just politics. The city funds the Police Department (the Department brings in a ton of revenue for you — a small detail you have chosen to ignore). The Department decides how to allocate those funds; the city does not.
 
So at least be honest: You are cutting the Police Department by $12 million. I think you can take Corwin at his word that fewer officers will be on the streets. The council has betrayed the public trust. And that’s what it will be remembered for.

Sharon Russo
Kansas City

Drunken drivers

The roving police patrol that took place Monday in Overland Park is the most effective way to maximize DUI arrests and save taxpayer money (3/15, Local, “Police will watch for drunk drivers”). Cities nationwide should adopt similar efforts.
Studies on traffic safety confirm that this type of police unit (also known as a “saturation” patrol) is the best way to get the worst drunk drivers off the road. Unlike highly publicized sobriety checkpoints that broadcast their locations in advance, roving patrols cover wide, unannounced areas, so chronic drunk drivers can’t plan ahead to avoid them.
Furthermore, roving patrols are up to ten times more effective than checkpoints for only a fraction of the cost.
Many states disregard this evidence and continue to funnel taxpayer money into ineffective, intrusive roadblocks. However, with its roving police patrols, Overland Park has the right idea.
Sarah Longwell
Managing director, American Beverage Institute
Washington, DC

Police recruitment

As a law enforcement officer with 34 years of service in New Hampshire and South Florida, I was offended and amazed to hear Mayor Mark Funkhouser’s ideas to improve minority police recruitment include ignoring felonies and drug violations of those “16, 17, 21” (1/18, Local, “Mayor’s plan for minority recruitment”). The mayor passed this off as stupid youthful behavior.

I teach police background investigation around the country. I personally know the dedication and work ethic of the Kansas City Police Department’s background investigation unit, and I am sure they are equally concerned and offended by the mayor’s attitude.

The mayor and political leaders around the country are losing sight of a critical goal in the hiring of our police officers. Police officers are held to a higher standard, and true professional officers accept that responsibility.

Mr. Mayor, hire the most qualified candidates who have demonstrated acceptable law-abiding behavior regardless of race.

History has given us many examples of wakes that were caused by hiring youthful felons and drug users. Ever hear of the “Miami River Cops”?

Charles Hemp
Kansas City

Because the Kansas City Police Department can’t recruit enough “qualified” minority applicants, Mayor Funkhouser says the city should consider lowering the requirements and standards for those seeking to enter the police academy.

How would you feel if medical schools started accepting minority students with poorer grades and questionable background checks just to fill the seats?

Would you feel safe knowing the pilot at the wheel of your commercial jet barely passed their take off and landing class, and got into flight school because the airline started accepting less adequate applicants?

Race shouldn’t be a factor if you want to become a police officer. What does matter is that you have the smarts, physical qualifications and proper, ethical background necessary to make the grade.

Kansas City shouldn’t “dumb down” the hiring process simply because not enough qualified minorities are making the cut.

Police officers take on a serious job. They carry a gun and make life and death decisions.

The 1984 comedy movie “Police Academy” was about selecting a bunch of misfits and making them police officers. Let’s keep these less competent jesters in blue on Comedy Central and not patrolling the streets of Kansas City.

Nick Sacco
Raytown

Thanks to police

Kudos to the Kansas City Police Department. I was going north on Interstate 435 recently and was tailgated by a pickup truck. Trying to get out of his way to let him go around me, I finally got into the middle lane. I saw a police car to the right. He turned on his lights and pulled in front of me, allowing the truck to pass. He then got behind him and pulled him over.
A very strong thank you to our Kansas City police. If this happened more often we wouldn’t have the multi-car pile ups.
Also they wouldn’t have known what color our skin was from that distance. They were just acting on the violation.
I was taught to respect police and any authority figure. They have always been respectful to me when I got pulled over.
Just think about what they go through on a daily basis and walk in their shoes, before you are so critical of them.
Helen Rozgay
Sugar Creek

A ‘miraculous catch’

A ‘miraculous catch’
Early Friday morning, Nov. 16, Holy Rosary Catholic Church was burglarized. Taken were 18 sacred vessels, a cordless microphone, another microphone taken from the choir loft and four components of the parish chimes system. I discovered the robbery early in the morning and reported to the police at 7 a.m.
The investigation began at 9 a.m. with the help of Kansas City Police Officer Carpenter, and crime scene investigators. By noon, all 18 church vessels, the components of the parish chime system and the choir microphone were recovered and on the way back to the church. Two suspects were arrested.
I was very impressed by the collaboration of the three branches of the Police Department and Holy Rosary’s “private detective,” parishioner Joseph Privitera.
This was my first experience with the Kansas City Police Department in such an investigation. I was overwhelmed by its excellent work.
I am very grateful for a job well done. I consider it a “miraculous catch” and a shocking story with a happy ending.
TV stations 5 and 9 also deserve kudos for the well-done coverage and for bringing to the attention of the community the good work of our Police Department.
Rev. Joseph Vicentini
Pastor of Holy Rosary Church in Columbus Park
Kansas City

Police chase policies

Let’s stop innocent bystanders from injury or death by having our police departments update their police pursuit policies. There were three recent police chase fatalities in the Kansas City area. One killed an innocent 17-year-old bicyclist.
This could have been prevented. I’m asking Mission Mayor Laura McConwell and Police Chief Randal Wilson to meet with other mayors and police chiefs in the surrounding area to discuss a safer police pursuit policy.
Kansas City, Mo., has recently changed its policy, but this is just the beginning. All area cities need to come together to make our streets much safer.
Sara Mullen
Mission

Police chases

Once again we have had a serious injury or death in Kansas City because of a police chase involving some minor violation of the law.
How many innocent people have to suffer the effects of this lunacy before we demand that police authorities implement some sensible policies regarding police chases?
If a police cruiser is involved in the hot pursuit of a fleeing perpetrator of a felony involving death or serious bodily harm, then a high-speed chase might be justified.
If it’s something less than that, then, for heaven’s sake, just get the license number if possible and let them go.
It’s not worth maiming and killing innocent motorists to apprehend some petty criminal or traffic offender.
Some argue that it’s usually the fleeing “criminal” who causes the actual crash. That may be the case. However, you are going to be just as dead whether you have a collision with the pursuer or the pursued.
Let’s have some reasonable cost/benefit analysis here.
Glenn E. Bradford
Kansas City

DUI checkpoints

I was appalled while reading the public safety news in the Local section Sunday (6/10). Page B-3 detailed a DUI checkpoint performed late Friday and early Saturday near the Plaza. Of the 842 vehicles stopped, eight individuals were arrested, a success rate of less than 1 percent.
During the checkpoint, a drive-by shooting occurred at 72nd and Walrond. The story appeared just below the DUI story.
Is this really an effective use of our police?
The police aren’t to blame. They are merely responding to the public. A year after Kansas City posted its highest murder rate in recent years, a UMKC survey listed speeding as Kansas City’s biggest crime — ahead of murder.
We’ve traded in common sense for officers forced to act as “mothers,” telling us don’t speed and wear seatbelts.
How about letting the police worry about murder cases, gang violence, drugs and keeping our streets safe?
Jason Wood
Kansas City

Police advice on attacks

My, how times change. It was the police who once advised victims, not just women, to cooperate with criminals because to resist might lead to heightened violence. That advice was poor then, and nothing has changed today (6/9, A-4, “In an attack, it’s best to fight”).
Criminals used to be able to count on the cooperation of victims because the victims were likely to follow police advice.
Victims then and today have a duty to resist criminal attack whenever a reasonable opportunity presents itself to do so.
Following the advice of the police in the past resulted in further injury to victims, and some even died as a result. The change in police advice is welcome but very late.
The only reason I can offer for the past police advice not to resist criminals is politics. It is a sad truth that politics often shades the advice and activities of the police.
Michael Lee Kobe
Kansas City, Kan.

Let police do their job

Regarding the June 8 column condemning police pursuits (Opinion, “Too many police chases harm the innocent”): Please consider why a driver would refuse to stop for the police. Do you really believe it’s just to avoid a traffic ticket? Most criminals who flee the police probably have more to hide than lousy driving.
Many violent offenders who are a danger to the public are captured via “the routine traffic stop.” If Kelsey Smith’s killer had been attempting to flee the area, and refused to stop for the police after an observed traffic violation, I know that I would want that officer to chase him to the ends of the earth.
Please let the men and women who are entrusted to protect us do their jobs. I find it very sad that the media countinue to criticize the police for wanting to keep these violent offenders away from our families.
Jason Matthews
Lee’s Summit