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Updated Property Crimes Investigations Strategy

Publish Date 09/26/2022
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Historically, KCPD has had a generalized approach to property crimes investigations by geographic location at each Patrol Division. Over the summer, national research was conducted with nine other similar-sized departments in order to establish if Property Crimes was operating in the most-efficient manner. This research pointed to the advantages of a specialized citywide approach to investigating property crimes.

Beginning in mid-September, the Property Crimes Unit shifted from a generalized approach at each Patrol Division, to a citywide approach comprised of an Auto Crimes Section, a Burglary Section, and a Stealing Section. The Economic Crimes Section (which has operated under specialization for years) did not change and will remain in the Property Crimes Unit.

 

This change provides some identified advantages:

  • Allows the specialized section to focus on patterns and prolific offenders who are responsible for committing the bulk of property crimes,
  • Allows for easier identification of patterns and prolific offenders citywide; something that is more difficult to establish using the current Division boundaries,
  • Gives the opportunity to prioritize staffing specific to certain crime trends,
  • Other agencies have found that specialization has led to more convictions and greater sentences to offenders than generalization due to the detective’s expertise in their field and through working closely with prosecutors assigned        specifically to their section.
  • Specialized detectives can build more effective, long-standing relationships with citizen groups they service. For instance, Stealing Section detectives will work closely with the largest retail chains in the city to establish training and best practices to reduce shoplifting,
  • Detectives can seek out specialized training specific to their field

 

There will be no change to facilities or location of the investigators offices, they will now be grouped together with other offense specific detectives. New contact information for the public should they want to contact an investigator is as follows:

Auto Crimes Section at 816-413-3406/3412

Burglary Crimes Section at 816-413-3430

Stealing Crimes Section at 816-413-3435

Economic Crimes Section 816-413-3431