KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.
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Lee's Summit police say safety is their primary concern when it comes to e-rides, particularly e-motos, citing too many close calls.
The department posted to social media over the weekend about what the concerns are, what is legal and what is not. Like Grain Valley police, Lee's Summit police say many residents are not aware of the ordinance and restrictions around these devices — which is why the department is not yet ticketing every 10-year-old found riding one.
KSHB 41 News Reporter Braden Bates heard from Lee's Summit residents over the weekend.
Instead, the department is pushing education first, with enforcement to follow if necessary.
Amanda Geno, Public Information Officer for the Lee's Summit Police Department, said:
"We're working on it. We're putting our best foot forward. We're doing everything we can. The last thing we want is for someone to hit a child on an E-moto. That's life changing for everybody. You gotta think, kids are still growing up, their brains are still developing, and so for them to be on a device that goes so fast and then have to also pay attention to traffic and cars and laws, the kids just aren't able to keep up with that."
Geno said LSPD School Resource Officers will continue education conversations with kids throughout the summer break and be present in summer school.
The education-first approach is something a Jackson County Legislator also wants to see expanded into a larger conversation.
Sean Smith, a Jackson County legislator, said:
"My hope is to keep the pace up of the discussion, so that we get more education, I'd love to see some in municipality parks and rec systems, for example, offering safety courses where they could also instruct parents in the law."
Smith said he would be happy to sponsor and support a large scale education effort. However, there isn't much he can do at a county level for an ordinance because it would apply to unincorporated Jackson County.
Grain Valley police have already asked their city attorney to look into possible changes to the city's ordinance. Lee's Summit police say similar conversations have been happening there as well.
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