Message from the Chief

In 2024, the Lee’s Summit Police Department (LSPD) strived to enhance our services, maintain public trust, and ensure the safety and well-being of every resident. This report highlights our key achievements, ongoing challenges, and future directions. I am proud to present a summary of our key accomplishments in 2024, reflecting our ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional public safety services to our community.

In 2024, we successfully expanded our authorized sworn police officer positions, responding to community needs while focusing on personnel wellness and training. While hiring continues to be challenging in a competitive environment, we continue to emphasize recruitment and training to build our staff.

We initiated the construction of our new Joint Operations Facility, a significant step forward in enhancing our policing capabilities and operational efficiency. Groundbreaking was held on Nov. 8 for the Joint Operations Facility, signaling a substantial advancement in our emergency response capabilities. The Joint Operations Facility, designed by Hoefer Welker and under the construction management of Titan Built, will function as central command for emergency response coordination. This building, adjacent (to the west) of police headquarters, will house Fire Department Administration and Training teams, City Emergency Operations, the Traffic Operations Center and a co-located Fire and Police Communication Center.

We are also renovating police headquarters and establishing a Real-Time Intelligence Center. This will improve our capacity to collect and process intelligence, thereby enhancing our response to community incidents. The facility changes will provide a virtual reality (VR) training system to improve officer training and preparedness. By integrating VR technology into our training regimen, we can provide immersive scenarios that simulate real-world situations officers may face on duty.

Following extensive planning, we broke ground on our new South Substation, which will ensure increased access to police services for residents in the southern part of Lee’s Summit. The development of this facility represents our commitment to adaptability and service in response to the growing population and diverse community needs.

Investments were made in protection systems to better secure special events in Downtown Lee’s Summit and throughout the City. We want our residents and visitors to feel safe as they enjoy themselves in a fun environment.

Violent crime decreased in most categories in 2024. The sharpest increase in crime was noted in shoplifting, and the police department plans to work with our retail partners and prosecutors to curb this issue. A new retail theft team is planned for the near future, utilizing additional resources to protect our businesses and consumers.

The improvements in 2024 were driven by our dedication to service excellence, community engagement, and innovation. As we move forward, we remain committed to enhancing public safety and fostering positive relationships within the community.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership for a better Lee’s Summit.

Travis Forbes
Police Chief