by Jeff Quibell
5. February 2010 12:00
The Blue Springs Citizens Police Academy consists of a nine-week course designed to give residents an inside look at how the Police Department operates. Wanda and I are participating in the academy together this winter and have found it to be an enjoyable experience. This past weekend, I had the privilege of riding along with one of our officers and participating in a “normal” day with a Blue Springs police officer.
One consistent area of concern on our citizen surveys has been the visibility of officers in our neighborhoods. As a City Council member, I received numerous calls from constituents who wanted to know why they “never” saw our police in their neighborhood. During my ride-along, we visited many subdivisions multiple times during our shift, patrolling the streets and neighborhoods. I find it comforting to know that our police officers are actively watching out for us and are nearby when we call for help.
In addition to general patrolling and the occasional traffic ticket, we also responded to several dispatched calls: a domestic disturbance case of a woman and her soon to be ex-husband who had violated a full order of protection; a few teenagers who had broken a bench in front of a store by jumping on it with their skateboards. We reminded the juveniles of the skate parks built for such purposes, and the store owner did not choose to press charges. We listened over the scanner to a “pants on the ground” incident regarding a customer in Wal-Mart that had a problem with droopy drawers, all in a day’s work.
Finally, I had the opportunity to observe as our officers tried to serve a felony warrant to an individual wanted on multiple DWI charges. The professionalism exhibited by our officers as they approached the house and talked with the occupants was impressive and reinforced my high opinion of our police force.
The Citizen’s Police Academy is open to all residents of Blue Springs, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about our Police Department. If you have questions or want to participate in one of the classes, contact the crime prevention supervisor, Sgt. Allen Kintz, at (816) 228-0178 or akintz@bluespringsgov.com.