KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Kansas City, Missouri, surpasses its highest recorded number of homicides in the city’s history, area leaders are working on solutions to cut down on violent crime.
KCPD Chief Rick Smith, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker and KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas joined a south Kansas City crime town hall Saturday morning to discuss what neighborhoods are looking for in reducing crime.
“How do we build better trust in some ways between neighborhoods and the police?” Lucas said. “A lot of neighborhoods, you don't have that challenge. There's other neighborhoods where you do. It's all of our jobs to have that much trust as possible because it helps us solve crimes and address issues.”
Smith said that “strong neighborhoods have less crime.”
“If we can get people engaged, if we can get communities engaged, we can make a difference,” Smith said.
One family affected by the record-breaking number of homicides is that of 16-year-old Anthony Strassle. He was killed in September and his case still is not solved.
“Somebody took an innocent kid, my son and I mean, when's it going to stop? When another kid ends up dead?” Chrisana Strassle, Anthony's mother, said.
Of the city’s 154 homicides, only 74 have been cleared.
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For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the 41 Action News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the 41 Action News Mug Shot Policy.
