Businesses hopeful after Jackson County Prosecutor launches Crime Strategies Unit

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Property crimes continue to plague businesses across Kansas City, and Jackson County’s newest Prosecutor has created a task force she hopes will be part of the solution.

A group of three attorneys and two data analysts focused on repeat offenders heads up the Crime Strategies Unit (CSU). According to Jackson County’s Prosecutor, Melesa Johnson, the unit will manage the property crime docket and identify patterns.

“When looking at the repeat offenders in our community, they didn’t get there overnight,” Johnson said. “Once they have reached that level of criminality, they typically reoffend, reoffend, and reoffend. It is a small number of people in our community causing the vast majority of crime, and that is what this unit will focus on.”

These strategies will be implemented in partnership with Save KC, a group that emphasizes focused deterrence. Focused deterrence is a crime prevention strategy that aims to deter criminal activity by intensely targeting a small group of high-risk individuals, often identified as prolific offenders or gang , with a combination of increased law enforcement pressure, coupled with access to social services and community , to encourage them to refrain from criminal behavior; essentially “pulling levers” to significantly increase the perceived consequences of continued criminal activity while also offering pathways to positive change.

According to Johnson, a small group of people commit the vast majority of crimes, and she wants them prosecuted effectively.

Johnson said attorneys will handle cases involving offenders with extensive criminal history and high risk for serious criminal activity while community engagement will those efforts playing a key part of the CSU.

The office is asking businesses to take a proactive approach by providing tres notice forms for them to fill out and serve to offenders. By coupling tres with another crime such as a break-in or vandalism, the prosecutor’s office says they can charge suspects with a felony.

The Crime Strategies Unit was officially launched on Monday, March 10.

Taylor Clement, the General Manager at ‘The Bar’ West Plaza said they’ve been broken into four times. The most recent was two weeks ago.

“It’s super frustrating because it continues to happen,” Clement said. “It seems like it comes in waves, especially with the nice weather around. I think a lot of business owners are frustrated as of late, it just doesn’t seem like anything is happening or the ball isn’t really rolling.”

Thankfully, they didn’t take anything but left a giant mess. She’s hopeful she won’t have to clean up any messes now that the Crime Strategies Unit is in full force.

“It’s exciting to see them getting a task force together and going for it,” Clement said. “I think anything is a step in the right direction.”

Clement said she’s thankful that she already received two calls this morning about their case.

“One of them was arrested, I do know that and that happened last week,” Clement said. “But just trying to get them all linked together since it seems like it’s the same group doing it.”

Clement is hopeful things will turn around soon.

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