The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department (KCKPD) serves a population of 148,483, which is 42.2 percent White, 26.8 percent African American, and 27.8 percent Hispanic. The per capita income is $18,574, which is far less than the state average of $26,929. Kansas City, Kansas (KCK) also has a poverty rate of 25 percent compared to the state average of 13.7 percent.

The target area includes several ZIP codes in KCK: 66101, 66102, and portions of 66104 and 66105. Like many US cities, the development pattern in KCK combined with the redlining of neighborhoods left hollowed-out communities near the City’s core. These areas have seen significant blight and reduced property values. Recent efforts by the Unified Government (UG) have made significant inroads in addressing blight and spurring re-investment in neighborhoods.

The Stabilization, Occupation, and Reinvestment (SOAR) Initiative has brought new focus to blight remediation. The City has demolished dangerous buildings and initiated an innovative land bank rehabilitation program that has renovated dozens of homes that were slated for demolition and resold them as habitable properties. As a result, property values in these neighborhoods have begun to climb. However, this progress is tenuous, and the threat of neighborhood gun violence hinders this renewal.

On July 1, 2017, the KCKPD launched a new program to fight crime. Project Addressing Crime Together (ACT) uses data to approach crime and traffic safety using an evidence-based policing model called Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS). DDACTS is designed to alter the behavior of individuals in high-crime and high-crash areas by increasing police visibility and having positive citizen interactions. The project is being conducted in a 1.2-square mile area that has shown to have the highest crime, crash, and traffic violation-related focus areas. In October 2019, the level of violent crime in this small geographical area amounted to 22 percent of all violent crime in the entire UG of Wyandotte County and KCK jurisdiction. For individuals ages 15-44 in Wyandotte County, homicide is the leading cause of death, and the vast majority of those homicides involve gun violence.

The goal of this program is to restore public safety to KCK neighborhoods experiencing high levels of gun violence through a coordinated, multi-agency, community-based response. This vision will be achieved through a two-phase process: 1) Action Plan development during the Planning Phase and 2) implementation.

To support the Planning Phase, the UG has made an investment to collaboratively develop a community violence dashboard on the mySidewalk platform, which will allow partners to share information and tell the story of how violence is being address by the grant.

The Planning Phase will be facilitated by the Office of the County Administrator and led by a multi-agency steering committee. The steering committee will hold a two-day planning workshop at the program outset and will meet biweekly for the first six months of the Planning Phase and monthly thereafter. Resources for the Planning Phase include the following:

• A KCKPD data analyst. 
• A health department or Kansas University Medical Center epidemiologist. 
• UG Chief Knowledge Officer and Assistant County Administrator. 
• External stakeholders from the Community Health Improvement Plan.
• Representation from the Office of the U.S. Attorney.
• Community outreach and convening experts, utilizing Americorps/VISTA to provide capacity for managing and executing a robust engagement strategy.

The Implementation Phase will likely include four components:

1. Enforcement and positive citizen contacts;
2. Technology, including cameras and license plate readers;
3. Epidemiology to analyze gun violence as a public health issue; and
4. Community engagement.

The goal of the Kansas City, Kansas BCJI project is to reduce crime by 8 percent in three zip codes: 66101, 66102, and 66104. To achieve this goal, the grantee site will implement the following strategies: 

• Gun Safety Tip Distribution: The project team will hold annual training classes and a communications campaign to teach the public about safety and owning a firearm responsibly paired with widespread distribution of free gun locks. 
• Gun Violence Trauma Response: The project team will help establish a network to provide trauma informed care by designating representatives that are trained in trauma-informed care to assist with resources for grieving and other resources the loved ones may need to reduce traumatization during this sensitive time. 
• Building Capacity of the DDACTs Program: The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department will utilize officers to conduct proactive directed patrol in defined areas of The East Patrol Division (including areas within Zip Codes 66101, 66102, and 66104) to lower gun violence, increase communication and cooperation between citizens living and working in those areas and the police department. 
• Increased Technological and Data Analysis Capabilities: The implementation of technology will include the use of additional cameras, surveillance, and data analysis to expand the reach of the police department and assist in solving gun crimes. 
• Supporting Several Integral Community Groups: Project partners will convene in bi-monthly meetings in the target communities with a goal of raising awareness and receiving community input and developing the community-based approach to reducing gun violence. 

VISTA, Police Athletic League, Central Avenue Betterment Association, Wyandotte Countians Against Crime, Office of the County Administrator, Unified Government Department of Public Health