KC neighborhood hopes planting shrubs will reduce crime

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On the northeast side of town, they are bringing in a new tool that should help fight crime.

It also smells good, looks pretty and tastes good in pie.

Ken Richardson likes to walk his Scarritt neighborhood and talk with his neighbors, or anybody else that happens to be there. He says the rest of the folks here are the same way.

Expect to talk to people if you show up here. That's one of the strengths of Scarritt.

"Our sense of community here is second to none," Richardson said.

Their vigilance has helped them take back most of their neighborhood from crime. This winter, they cut back a lot of the brush from the north side of the beautiful historic Colonnade.

Richardson says that exposed places where many transients hang out, hidden during the day.

"At night they shop our houses," he said.

He says the transients will try doors and windows and take anything they can find.

Many in the neighborhood chain down their lawn furniture.

"These aren't your poor homeless people that lost their job. These are thieves, these are felons, these are power drinkers, power drug dealers, gang members," he said.

So the neighbors decided to take action.

"What we would like to do is come down here this first 10 to 15 meters here, and make it all blackberries and raspberries," he said.

They also want to plant roses along the old limestone staircase that runs down to cliff drive. The thorns of the plants should make it uncomfortable to hang out here.

It’s part of a concept known as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.

But it is the neighbors attention that ultimately is changing things here.

"That's the kind of community you want to live in whether it be in Leawood or anywhere."

They hope to plant the berry and rose bushes this fall.