Resources
There are several resources available to members of the Independence Neighborhood Watch Program. To better serve you, the following information is here to help you discover the tools available to you.
The police department offers many tools to help you in maintaining your Neighborhood Watch Program. Among the more popular are the monthly captain meeting, CommunityCrimeMap.com, Meet an officer, guest speakers and this Web site.
Monthly Captain Meetings
Each month, the police department hosts a captain meeting the first Tuesday of the month. (There are few exceptions to this rule). In this meeting you receive all of the information that is critical to report back to your individual groups. Each meeting will have a presenter, or present on a topic related to crime prevention education. These topics range from personal safety, to when to call 911.
You will also be kept informed of what happenings are going on in your city. These meetings are required if your neighborhood wants to receive block watch signs. They are also required to qualify for many of the awards which are handed out at our yearly January meeting.
These meetings typically last about an hour. After each meeting there is an optional question and answer session in which you can receive clarification on a topic.
The meetings are held at the Independence Police Department Headquarters. The meetings start promptly at 7 p.m. Any questions regarding these meetings can be addressed to Officer McLaughlin at (816) 325-7643.
Meet an Officer
it is the belief of the Independence Police Department that community-based policing efforts start with police officers who are familiar with the communities in which they serve. To that end, by submitting a simple request, you can have your district officer respond to your block party, or block meeting, to open the communication pathway between the citizens and the police department.
When scheduling an officer, keep in mind that they are subject to call. In the event of a mass number of calls, they may not be able to respond to your event. To help guarantee that an officer will respond, please try to meet the following criteria:
- Avoid scheduling an officer between 5:30 and 7:30 PM. Although this is prime meeting time, this is also when the police shift change-over occurs. In addition to change-over, this is also a very high-volume call time. If your event falls in this time frame, we will still try to make it, but could be called away.
- Give an accurate address for your event. When making your request, make sure that the address is correct, and that any contact information is correct as well.
- Prioritize the officer's time. If you are conducting business during a meeting, please pause to give the floor to the officer when they arrive. Keep in mind this officer is keeping your streets safe!
To request an officer for your event, please contact mjmclaughlin@indepmo.org
Guest Speakers
Several groups have contacted the police department in reference to common problems: group meetings and content. Many groups have cited this as a leading reason why groups die out.
In each case, they could make for an excellent draw to increase attendance at your next meeting. In some case, it can also help if you contact other area groups and have a combined meeting. Three groups having a combined meeting would count as an individual meeting for each group involved with the meeting.
If you have an individual or company that would be interested in making this list, please let us know. The police department would love to keep an updated list on file to provide to anyone needing it.