The Administration Division includes the Administrative and Support Services Units. These units handle a multitude of duties ranging from policy compliance throughout the department to youth services within the community.
The Police Department received its first accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2011. The agency has since received reaccreditation in 2014, 2017 and 2021. The CALEA process involves a rigorous peer review with each accredited agency undergoing a reassessment and vote by the commission every four years. The department submits files and statistics for peer review and conducts focus area interviews with a CALEA compliance services manager. The next reassessment is scheduled for 2025.
The Records Unit handles Sunshine Law and Municipal Discovery requests, alarm registrations and liquor license applications. It also manages payroll for the Administration Division and criminal case warrants. The unit has four records clerks and one police records supervisor.
The Property Unit manages recovered property for evidentiary purposes. The technicians handled 6,747 items this year and worked with courts to determine property destruction or release. The unit added a second full-time evidence and property technician this year.
The goals of the Professional Standards and Compliance Unit are to ensure transparency and accessibility in the complaint process to the public and officers, strengthen the use of force review process to ensure only necessary force is used, increase efficiency in how paperwork is routed and assist supervisors in identifying issues in real-time.
In 2023, the Professional Standards and Compliance Unit implemented the IA Pro "Blue Team" software program to enhance workflow efficiency. The digital platform aids in documenting and creating reports on the use of force, citizen complaints and vehicle pursuits. It assists supervisors in real-time issue identification, identifies training needs and ensures the department fulfills required reports for state and federal agencies. The unit utilizes processes such as the Early Warning System, Use of Force Review and Internal Affairs Investigations.
The 911 Communications Center is the primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for the City, routing all 911 calls through the dedicated communications specialists. Police calls are processed internally. Fire and EMS calls are routed to the Fire Department Communications Center.
The Communications Center has the seventh largest PSAP per call volume in the metropolitan area and is the third largest on the Missouri side. The Communications Center handled 109,099 incoming phone calls from citizens in 2023 (69,534 non-emergency and 39,565 emergency calls).
In 2023, 99.45% of the 911 calls were answered within 15 seconds. The national standard is 90%. Communications also handles calls initiated by officers via radio. In 2023, 66,658 officer-initiated radio calls were entered into the Computer Automated Dispatch (CAD) system.
The Youth Services Unit created IMPACT, a new youth prevention program. Four full-time officers teach the curriculum, which replaces D.A.R.E. The four guiding principles of the IMPACT program are Integrity, Responsibility, Respect and Prevention. Officers visit second and fourth-grade classrooms to deliver introductory lessons and teach the core curriculum to students in grades five and seven. In 2023, IMPACT was taught in 25 schools to more than 6,000 students throughout the fall and spring semesters. The schools included the Lee's Summit R7 School District, Blue Springs R4 School District and one private school.
The Youth Services Unit currently has eight full-time school resource officers. School resource officers cover three high schools, four middle schools within the Lee’s Summit R7 School District and one private school. School resource officers provide school security to students, staff and administration and are responsible for any reports and investigations at their assigned school.
The Explorer Post Program provides comprehensive training and knowledge to youth ages 14 to 20 who are interested in law enforcement careers. The program offers classroom and hands-on experience to prepare them for the realities of law enforcement while fostering relationships with local youth.
Youth Court is a diversion program for juvenile offenders, offering education about the criminal justice system. It is a cooperative project co-sponsored by the Eastern Jackson County Bar Association, Jackson County Circuit Court Family Court Division and the Police Department. The primary objective is to reduce juvenile offense incidents and divert offenders from the justice system, allowing offenders to take responsibility for their actions.
The Junior Police Academy is geared towards students between the ages of 12 and 14 who attend the Lee's Summit R7 School District or live in Lee's Summit. The one-week program is structured to simulate a professional police academy experience for students interested in the law enforcement profession.
Two sworn community interaction officers and a sergeant make up the Public Information Unit. The unit's main responsibilities are to cover the public information function 24/7. The public information officer (PIO) reacts in real time to information requests from the media and to major crises, providing updates on relevant information. The department's social media presence is also maintained by the unit.
The department's personnel hiring and screening procedures fall under the purview of this unit. Both the publicizing of available posts and the multi-phase screening of all candidates are handled by the Public Information Unit. Eight new police officers and eighteen civilian employees were processed by the unit in 2023.
The unit manages the department’s Citizen’s Police Academy, an eight-week program that offers citizens insight into the daily operations of the Police Department, fostering community interaction.
The Detention Unit, comprised of 16 full-time employees, handles processing and supervising detainees charged with misdemeanors to serious felonies. In 2023, the non-commissioned detention officers processed, detained and released 2,762 individuals.
The department has three police services officers (PSO) at the front desk who assist callers and visitors to Police Headquarters. They take walk-in reports which allows sworn officers to stay in their patrol districts and avoid trips to headquarters. In 2023, the PSO employees took 546 walk-in reports and assisted over 5,500 visitors.
The Training and Wellness Unit includes a sergeant, range master and training coordinator, along with multiple officers who are instructors and subject matter experts in various disciplines. In 2023, the training unit provided more than 128 hours of training and instruction to officers in various disciplines, including firearms, defensive tactics, driver training and legal updates, racial profiling, implicit bias and de-escalation lessons. This department-wide training serves to fulfill continuing law enforcement training hours for sworn officers as mandated by Missouri POST. Officers also routinely attend training outside the department to further enhance their skills and abilities.
A yearly mental health check-in with a licensed clinician was instituted to assist employees in dealing with the response to critical incidents and job stress. Officers are provided an annual comprehensive wellness physical through Life Scan Wellness.