Project Safe Neighborhoods Kansas City, Missouri

Project Abstract

Project Safe Neighborhoods, Western District of Missouri

Under the coordination and leadership of the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) a PSN task force re-established in 2018 and is currently assisting in the implementation of PSN Grant 2019-GP-BX-0062, PSN Grant 2020-GP-BX-0004, 2021 grant #15PBJA-21-GG-03035-GUNP and 2022 grant 15PBJA-22-GG-00785-GUNP.  The task force combines federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, former and retired law enforcement officials, and local businesses and community organizations to implement a comprehensive holistic crime reduction program.  The overwhelming response from partners involved in this task force has been very positive.

The proposed project period is October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2026, contingent on funding availability to implement our action plan.  Through intelligence sharing with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, Kansas City Missouri Police Department (KCPD), and other state and federal agencies, the PSN task force has identified areas with the highest violent crime rates in Kansas City, Missouri to be targeted for a violent crime reduction strategy.  The violent crimes in the target enforcement area are driven by gang or group related narcotics activity including retaliation driven crimes. 

The PSN target enforcement area is generally defined by geographic street boundaries from St. John Avenue (1st Street) to 85th Street, and Troost Avenue to Van Brunt Boulevard extended.  In a 5-year period from January 2018 through December 2022, there have been 718 homicides in Kansas City, Missouri, and an average of 58% (418) of the homicides have occurred in the target enforcement area.484 homicides have occurred in this area.  A previous review from 2015 to 2019 showed that there was an average of 97 homicides per year in the target area, but now in the 2018 to 2022 review we are averaging 84 homicides per year in the target area. In the same previous review, 71% of homicides occurred in the target area and in this last review there has been a reduction down to 58%.    Consequently, while the percentage of homicides in the target area is less in comparing the two 5-year averages, the selected target area remains an important area for community policing, neighborhood action and enforcement effort need.

We propose building upon past successful evidence-based interventions to share intelligence, stay current on identifying specific violent crime hot spots within the target enforcement areas to provide coordinated police response to those areas, and to identify prolific violent offenders driving the violence.  We are also partnering with the Kansas City, MO. Police Department’s Law Enforcement Resource Center where the Midwest Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) is located as well as a Gang Intelligence Squad to assist with identifying the violent active trigger pullers in the target enforcement area for investigation and prosecution.  We have noted that KCPD may have needs for intelligence software in the future to assist with suspect identification.

The Western District of Missouri’s PSN program is also working to partner with community engagement and prevention assets to reduce violent crime.  The PSN program partners have been reintroducing several proven past community awareness strategies, and add to them a targeted social media campaign, to spread the message that those committing violent acts in our community will face severe consequences.