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Kansas City-area police departments evaluating security improvements
following mass shootings
Kansas City-area police departments evaluating security improvements
following mass shootings
[Blank.gif]
overland park incident action plan
By: Sarah Plake
Posted at 5:26 PM, Jul 05, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-05 20:03:28-04
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After the mass shooting that killed seven people in
an Illinois suburb, KSHB 41 News spoke with police departments in the
Kansas City area about their safety plans for larger gatherings.
John Lacy, the public information officer for the Overland Park Police
Department, couldn't get into detail about what's in an Incident Action
Plan.
However, Lacy says for every 5K or fireworks display, they always have
one ready days in advance.
"They always change. We may see an incident like Highland Park and
we're going to look at that incident, find out what did they do good,
what did they do bad, how can we improve safety here in Overland Park
for our citizens," Lacy said.
Like Highland Park, Illinois, where a shooter hiding on a rooftop shot
into a 4th of July parade, Overland Park is a suburb.
Overland Park police were on high alert Monday at the annual Corporate
Woods fireworks display and had extra resources.
"There were officers that stepped up and said, 'Hey, if you need me out
there, I'm willing to come out there,'" Lacy said. "We also had
officers in plainclothes that were mingling with the crowd."
They had public works trucks blocking pedestrian areas to avoid someone
driving through a crowd, taking notes from the 2016 incident in Nice,
France, where a man plowed through a group of people at a Bastille Day
celebration.
OPPD was certainly aware of the need to have resources in high places
like rooftops.
"We have eyes everywhere," Lacy said.
Lacy also stresses situational awareness. He said the police depend on
every day people to keep their eyes open.
If you see a post on social media and it doesn't sit right with you,
tell someone about it, Lacy said.
If you're at an event and you see something or someone and you get a
bad gut feeling, don't hesitate to tell a police officer.
Highland Park is actually more similar in size to Leawood, Kansas.
Highland Park's population is about 30,000 and its police force is made
up of 57 officers and 12 civilian employees.
Leawood's population is 34,000 and its police force has 61 officers and
22 support personnel.
"I think what you're going to see is more use of unmanned aerial
systems such as drones," John Hamilton, a retired Kansas City police
officer, said.
Hamilton is also a criminal justice associate professor emeritus at
Park University. He says drones can be useful for smaller departments
without a lot of resources, such as a helicopter.
"Where you can get a drone that's well-equipped, that has a camera
above it, that's fairly quiet, that you could use to do continual
surveillance as well," Hamilton said.
When a mass shooting happens, Hamilton says his mind always goes to
what information was there before that could have prevented it.
It's unclear what kind of surveillance Highland Park and its police
department had at the parade, like snipers on rooftops, drones or
helicopters.
"So when I look at what was yesterday I look and say, I don't know how
you would have prevented it short of maybe having intelligence
information prior to the event," Hamilton said.
Hamilton said 20 to 25 years ago, police weren't worried about
high-powered weapons, like the Highland Park suspect had.
"I think what's changed is some of the tactics that the shooters have
begun to use and plans have begun to evolve to meet those needs,"
Hamilton said.
This after-action doesn't prevent the loss of life but he says
pinpointing what they can do better next time is critical.
The Kansas City Police Department also responded to KSHB 41 News'
request, saying they've had the opportunity to plan for several large
events during the last 10 years with a World Series win, a Super Bowl
win, and many parades.
KCPD has a Critical Incident Management plan in place that covers
large-scale disasters and other incidents.
"Our members train regularly in active shooter response," Officer Donna
Drake, a spokesperson for KCPD, said. "We work with the FBI, the Fusion
Center, as well as regional and local partners to gather and
disseminate information regarding potential threats."
Drake said they also work with schools, hospitals, and other private
businesses to provide them with active shooter training.
Interim Chief Mabin spoke about active shooter situations at the June
28th Board of Police Commissioners meeting, following the Uvalde school
shooting.
Mabin said training for all officers is ongoing.
—
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Meet the Investigators
* Caitlin 3_grey.jpg
Caitlin Knute
5:01 PM, Jun 25, 2020
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Jessica McMaster
3:32 PM, Oct 22, 2018
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Sarah Plake
1:17 PM, Oct 19, 2018
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Ryan Takeo
11:23 AM, Sep 28, 2021
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