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Police Department  >  Department Operations  >  Department Practices

City Podcast: Police Chief Travis Forbes Discusses Department Practices

Police Department Practices

As part of the national conversation taking place regarding police practices, our department has received numerous inquiries about our policies, training, equipment, transparency and accountability. We appreciate the questions from those individuals who have reached out to us as they seek to understand more about our police department. As community partners, we value the relationship and trust we have built together in our community and we believe that dialogue and understanding are important. The information outlined here is meant to broadly address the most common questions. Some topics could fill hundreds of pages, so this is not meant to be a complete reference. If you have additional questions after reading this overview, we welcome you to call or stop by the Police Department in person to obtain additional information.

The Police Department hiring process is extensive and in-depth. An interview board, polygraph, background investigation, and psychological evaluation are some of the steps involved in hiring. The psychological test includes a measure for racial bias.

Part of assuring the safety of our community includes contributing to the overall health of our fellow residents. The Lee’s Summit Police Department has a proud history of engaging this issue. LSPD was the first department in the State of Missouri to implement the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program. CIT includes officers specially trained to respond to individuals in crisis and direct them toward much-needed resources. LSPD is actively seeking funding to include a mental health co-responder in our operations. This position would be a civilian social worker who would be available to directly respond to calls for service involving crisis to enhance availability of programs and services, enhancing our CIT efforts. As of Summer 2020, we have not been able to fund this position but we will continue to seek all opportunities for this important enhancement. LSPD also provides the Safe Passage program to help individuals suffering from addiction direct access to services without fear of arrest. This model program is the first of its kind in Missouri and the Kansas City metropolitan area. For more information on Safe Passage, you can visit our website at https://cityofls.net/police-department/programs-and-services/safe-passage

LSPD is nationally accredited through the Commission on Law Enforcement Accreditation (CALEA). The department provides policies and proofs of compliance annually. CALEA assessors visit the department every four years for an in-depth review of policies, procedures, and compliance information. CALEA continually updates its recommended standards through input from national experts. Members of the police department also belong to several local, state, and national professional organizations to assure the agency stays on the cutting edge of developments in policing, to include:

  • International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
  • National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE)
  • Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO)
  • Missouri Police Chiefs Association
  • National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA)
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy (FBINA)
  • American Society of Evidenced Based Policing (ASEBP)
  • CIT International
  • National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO)
  • Kansas City Metropolitan Chiefs and Sheriffs Association
  • The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative

The police department maintains two officers dedicated as “Community Interaction Officers” (CIOs), with the sole purpose of assuring continual engagement with our fellow residents. CIOs run our extensive social media operations. CIOs also conduct several community events throughout the year, including Coffee with Cops, Popsicles in the Park, and the Boos Barks and Badges national night out event (among others). CIOs also interface with HOAs, community groups, multi-family housing representatives, and local businesses, providing training and listening to requests and recommendations for improving law enforcement in Lee’s Summit.  Citizens can engage with the Police Department via our pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and also The Next Door app and the Neighbors app from Ring.

LSPD staffs peer support officers who are available to aid their fellow officers, and also those from other metro agencies, who have responded to a crisis event or are experience personal issues. The police department also has counseling services readily available to officers and staff. A Police Chaplain program staff five chaplains from throughout the faith-based community in Lee’s Summit. The department has a full exercise facility in police headquarters and provides workout time to officers and staff.

 

Eighty-two (82%) percent of the police department budget is for personnel services, to include salaries for officers and staff, health insurance, and other related expenses. The remainder of the budget is spent on training, facility maintenance, technology (software and hardware), fuel, interdepartmental expenses, utilities, and supplies. The City’s overall budget, including the portion dedicated to the police department, may be viewed here: https://cityofls.net/finance-budget-taxes/city-budget

The Citizen’s Police Academy (and related Junior Citizen’s Academy) provide an in-depth look at all aspects of our operations. It is offered once per year. Please consider following us on Facebook (https://facebook.com/LSPolice/) for such opportunities. The department also hosts several events throughout the year providing the opportunity for citizen interaction and engagement. We value our interaction and transparency with our citizens.

Facebook – facebook.com/LSPolice

Twitter – twitter.com/LSPDPIO

Instagram – instagram.com/leessummitmopd/