Kansas City CIDs work with city leaders to address public safety

KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories that provide solutions and provides discussion on crime and violence. Share your story idea with La’Nita.

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The conversation continues – how can city leaders address safety concerns throughout the community?

That question was asked at a public safety roundtable on Friday.

The event was hosted by Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas and the city council.

It brought together the city’s Community Improvement District (CID), city leaders and law enforcement to discuss recent public safety concerns and explore ways the city can better use CID resources to fill public safety gaps.

“We’ve had a lot of effort just to try to get the right people around the table to coordinate our safety and security efforts,” said Kevin Klinkenberg, executive director for Midtown KC Now.

Midtown KC Now is an economic development agency.

With Midtown being a recent hot spot for property crime and violence, they are one of the areas stepping up their security measures with a team acting as community watchdogs.

“From our staff, who are kind of on the street as our eyes and ears,” Klinkenberg said. “They’re not police, but they can be like a first warning system for trouble.”

It’s one of the ways the city’s CIDs work to help law enforcement both on the front lines and behind the scenes.

They use private security cameras to monitor certain neighborhoods.

“We monitor cameras downtown and coordinate with KCPD,” Klinkenberg said. “And then also through our various programs, we help gather evidence to try to prosecute people who need to be prosecuted.”

Addressing housing issues, mental health resources and harm reduction were also discussed.

Lucas emphasized the importance of having solutions-based spaces.

“I want to make sure that when we talk about safety, we have a chance to talk about public safety issues,” Lucas said. “Our multidisciplinary public safety task force, we have KCPD, we have regulated industry, we have code enforcement districts, we have the health department; I think there is a lot of good work out there. I think we probably bring the CIDs on board. it will help in the long run.”

Hiring more officers to patrol the streets will also be helpful.

KCPD Chief Stacey Graves says it’s something the community can expect to see soon.

“From here on out, we should be producing more positive numbers in terms of officers coming to the Kansas City Police Department,” Graves said.

Graves also believes that the CIDs’ help has led to progress in reducing crime and harm.

“Their mitigation person that they have really gets there,” Graves said. “It’s a lived experience — it’s something that people who are in those spaces can relate to, obviously, maybe even convinced to finally get services and change the trajectory if their lives. So that’s something we will absolutely support. .”

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