Roeland Park’s business district experienced a 24.5 percent decline in crime incidents from January through July 2018 following implementation of a Crime Prevention Initiative, police officials reported this week. The $7,500 initiative placed officers in the business district for 10 hours per week with rotating times and locations, with a special focus on Lowe’s, Price Chopper, and Walmart. Funds went toward paying officers’ overtime. The city also utilized a donated Ford Mustang “Retail Crime Enforcement Unit” to demonstrate police presence.
Chief of Police John Morris called the crime decrease “dramatic.”
“We’re pretty pleased with how it worked,” Morris said.
Morris said the decline in incident and report writing within the business district allowed officers to spend more time patrolling the streets and maintaining visibility in the community.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)