Congratulations to the 100th Graduating Class of the Johnson County Regional Police Academy

Last Friday evening, the commanders and I attended the graduation of the 100^th Class of the Johnson County Regional Police Academy at the Carlson Center of the Johnson County Community College (JCCC).  We had three recruits in this class. Our Honor Guard presented the Colors, while Shawnee Patrol Sergeant Ben Mendoza’s daughter Alyssa sang the National Anthem.  The Honor Guard and Alyssa represented our department very well.

In 1960s, Johnson County experienced enormous growth, and the Sheriff, along with several other Police Chiefs, decided a formal police academy curriculum was needed.  The late Johnson County Sheriff Fred Allenbrand, the former Overland Park Police Chief Myron Scafe, and the late Shawnee Police Chief Charlie Stump agreed to establish a formal academy specific to Johnson County.

In the fall of 1972, the first official regional academy was conducted on the campus of the JCCC.  The current academy facility, located on the west side of the college campus, was dedicated in October 2001. The academy’s curriculum is designed to meet and exceed the State’s requirements, as well as the unique nature of policing the Johnson County community.   

The Johnson County Regional Police Academy provides basic law enforcement training for officers from more than 30 Kansas agencies in the suburban Kansas City area. Successful completion of the 16-week academy results in certification as a Kansas Law Enforcement Officer. Recruits must be employed as a full-time law enforcement officer of an agency we serve before entering the police academy. The academy is operated in cooperation with the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, JCCC, and the Johnson County Chiefs and Sheriffs Association.

In closing, I would like to congratulate Shawnee Police Recruit Justin Cobb.  Justin was awarded the Rick Staples Marksmanship Award and the Overall Achievement Award for his outstanding performance while attending the academy.  Justin, and his Shawnee classmates, Jennifer Pennington and Josh Bayless, now start their post-academy training before entering our field training program.

Smart Policing Right Here in Shawnee

We learned a few weeks ago that we were awarded federal funds to conduct a study of our implementation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Association's Data Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS) Initiative.  The purpose of the study is to determine what effect the DDACTS initiative has had on crime and traffic safety in the City of Shawnee. This award is a great honor for Shawnee and we are now a member of a select few law enforcement agencies that are testing solutions to serious crime problems in their jurisdictions.

  

The goal of these Smart Policing initiatives is to develop evidence-based, data-driven law enforcement tactics and strategies that are effective, efficient, and economical. These proven tactics and strategies will be a great benefit to law enforcement agencies as measured by reduced crime and higher case closure rates.  This is so important in these days of budget constraints and limited staffing.

According to the Bureau of Justice Assistance, “The Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) seeks to build upon concepts of “offender-based” and “place-based” policing. Several longitudinal projects in the United States and the United Kingdom have demonstrated convincingly that a small number of offenders commit a disproportionate amount of crime. It is also well documented that crime reports and calls for service often cluster predominately at specific locations or narrow, easily-defined areas, and that the most convincing research indicates that “place-based” or “hotspot” policing reduces violent crime and neighborhood disorder. These persuasive findings suggest that effective policing requires a tightly focused, collaborative approach that is measurable; based on sound, detailed analysis; and includes policies and procedures for accountability.

The consistent use of preventive and tactical tools that are rooted in a scientific knowledge base of “what works” should be promoted and integrated into daily police work.  Inculcating evidence-based policies and procedures in everyday police operations is critically important to an agency’s ability to provide quality law enforcement services.”