Auto thefts are up in south KC. How do other crimes rate?

South KC Perspective

By John Sharp

“Stolen auto numbers are just insane,” is how Major David Jackson, South Patrol Commander, described year-to-date auto thefts in South Patrol at the June 18 quarterly anti-crime meeting at the South Patrol Police Campus.

Jackson reported there have been 315 stolen autos reported so far this year at the meeting compared to 304 at the same time last year, which itself was a high number.

That was the only major crime category that has gone up so far this year in South Patrol compared to last year.

Reported burglaries were way down from 218 to 103.  Homicides decreased from 7 to 6, and non-fatal shootings decreased from 16 to 14.

Unfortunately, police response times to the highest priority calls involving life-threatening situations have remained long in South Patrol this year in the short-staffed department which remains about 300 officers down from full strength despite going to 11-hour shifts for patrol officers designed to put more officers on the street during the hours when the most crimes are committed.  Average response times in South Patrol for the highest priority calls were 10:02 minutes in January, 9:30 minutes in February, 8:29 minutes in March, 10.10 minutes in April and 9:23 minutes in May.

Not only do relatively long police response times endanger victims in domestic violence situations which often escalate in severity over time when they occur, but slow police response times delay emergency medical help for survivors of violent crimes in many cases since emergency medical crews won’t enter a violent crime scene until they are reasonably sure it is safe.

Sometimes a scene is outside where they can see it is safe and sometimes that can be determined with a reasonable amount of certainty from a 911 caller, but if that isn’t the case, fire department ambulance and pumper truck crews will respond to the vicinity of the crime but wait to enter the crime scene itself until police arrive and determine it’s safe.

If a victim has life-threatening injuries such as arterial bleeding, seconds count, and an 8-10 minute police response time which could delay emergency medical personnel from aiding the victim for a little longer can make the difference between life and death for victims.