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Record of Proceedings

Kansas City Council Business Session - January 27, 2022: KCPD Crime Stoppers QR Code and Hiring Updates

City Council Business Session — Thursday, January 27, 2022
BodyKansas City, Missouri
SessionCity Council Business Session
DateThursday, January 27, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Welcome to business session.

0:04

Our first item is approval of minutes for business session.

0:08

So move.

0:09

Is there a second?

0:10

Second.

0:12

Okay by saying aye.

0:13

Aye.

0:14

All right.

0:15

Motion passes.

0:16

We have two updates from KCPD.

0:19

Good things happen to good people.

0:20

So we had Captain Kobanal before.

0:24

Magic.

0:25

Major Kobanov with the promotion.

0:27

We're happy to have you come back.

0:28

So, sir, take it away.

0:30

Thank you, sir.

0:31

Thank you, Mr.

0:32

Mayor, members of the city council, city manager Brian Platt.

0:35

My name is Major Martin Cobanal, KCPD.

0:38

And this afternoon, we have two KCPD updates.

0:42

These updates will be provided by Detective Kristen Ludwig with Create KCPD, who's assigned to the Kansas City Crime Stoppers.

0:51

And then from Captain Marissa Barnes and Sergeant Joseph Bediaco, KCPD in the Human Resources Personnel Division.

1:00

Christine.

1:10

Good afternoon, everybody.

1:14

My PowerPoint up here.

1:16

Uh-oh.

1:22

While you're getting your slides ready, can I ask who that relaxed looking gentleman in the tan suit jacket is right there talking to Marcus Smith.

1:30

Can he stand and identify himself?

1:32

Yeah, that civilian out there and hairy.

1:35

I don't recognize him looking all relaxed.

1:42

Tighten up security.

1:43

Good to see you, Officer Bain.

1:45

Welcome back.

1:47

All right, go on ahead, ma'am.

1:50

Yes, thank God he's here.

1:51

I don't know what I'd do.

1:53

Okay.

1:54

Gotcha.

1:55

I've only been here for uh assigned to crime stoppers for four months.

1:58

So good afternoon, and it's nice to meet all of you.

2:02

My name is Christina Ludwig.

2:04

I've been with uh Kansas City, Missouri Police Department for a while.

2:11

My most recent assignment was uh to the crime commission, Kansas City Metro Crime Commission, which is a 501c3 over four programs.

2:20

The SAFE program, second chance, the Metro Community Service Program, and then the program that I am now the coordinator of, which is Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline.

2:32

So we cover approximately nine counties.

2:36

This tips hotline.

2:37

It all started back in 1982 with uh a telephone hotline.

2:44

And through the years we've upgraded our technology just to keep up with the times like everybody else.

2:49

So we have a wonderful website, AC Crimestroppers.com.

2:57

This is where anyone can anonymously submit information safely.

3:04

So uh let's see our so like I said, it was a it's a secure website.

3:09

Here you can download our P3 app, which is also brought on by our amazing former coordinators.

3:18

You can check on the status of a tip here.

3:21

You can learn about Crime Stoppers program here, even make a donation if you'd like to, but most importantly, safely and anonymously leave a tip.

3:30

Our latest invention that I've come out with is the QR code.

3:36

So our say it here QR code.

3:39

And if you're not familiar with QR codes, um, then you haven't been out eating in a public restaurant lately because they make you scan the QR code in order to even see the menu.

3:50

So nobody wants to touch anything, everybody wants to scan things.

3:53

And this is also what our younger community, what they're used to seeing and doing and is scanning.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████58%
Personnel Matters████████████████████████████36%
Racial Equity███4%
Procedural██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Kansas City Council Business Session - January 27, 2022

The Kansas City Council met in a business session on January 27, 2022, at 2:00 PM to approve prior minutes, hear updates from the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) on a new QR code for Crime Stoppers and on hiring efforts, and discuss items on the legislative docket. The meeting adjourned after the presentations, with no formal votes on new ordinances.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes for January 20, 2022 Business Session: Approved unanimously by voice vote (motion and second, all saying "Aye").

Discussion Items

  • KCPD Update: Crime Stoppers QR Code

    • Detective Kristen Ludwig presented a new QR code initiative to improve anonymous tip submissions via the Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline. The QR code directly links to the secure website (kcrimestoppers.com) and the P3 app, bypassing app download requirements for juveniles. The code has been distributed on stickers to detectives, community partners, and school districts.
    • Statistics: In 2021, KCPD received 1,490 tips out of a total 3,905 across nine counties. This was a decrease from 2020 (1,721 tips) and 2019 (2,087 tips). Of those tips, 13 led directly to arrests, resulting in $88,350 in rewards paid out. The downward trend was attributed partly to COVID-19 and reduced public exposure.
    • Councilman Hall expressed strong support, invited the detective to present at First District and Northland Regional Chamber meetings, and offered to help connect with school districts. He requested digital copies of the QR code materials for council email blasts and social media.

  • KCPD Update: Hiring and Recruitment

    • Captain Marissa Barnes and Sergeant Joseph Bediaco outlined employment unit efforts. The unit's core mission is to recruit, process, and hire qualified applicants reflecting community diversity.
    • Applicant Statistics:
      • Non-sworn applicants: 1,155 in 2020 vs. 1,129 in 2021 (a small drop).
      • Sworn (police officer) exam takers: 340 in 2020 vs. 198 in 2021 (a significant decrease of over 40%).
      • On the most recent exam, only 17 people tested. The drop was attributed to COVID, civil unrest, budget uncertainty, and negative perceptions of policing.
    • Recruitment strategies include nationwide testing (no longer required in Kansas City), community events at centers, school presentations, partnerships with women empowerment networks and the military, and social media. The department hopes a recent salary increase and a goal of hiring 100+ officers in 2022 will boost numbers.
    • Councilwoman Robinson asked about diversity and inclusion goals. The sergeant noted efforts to build relationships in underserved communities and target recruitment at community centers, but acknowledged challenges in tracking demographic data before hiring. Councilwoman Park Shaw asked about national trends and retirement cycles; the sergeant confirmed other agencies report similar reductions, and that early retirements (5–10 years) are adding to attrition.

Key Outcomes

  • No ordinances or resolutions were introduced or discussed beyond the docket; the meeting stood adjourned until 3:00 PM.
  • A group photo of the council was taken at Councilwoman Hall's request.
  • Councilmembers offered to assist KCPD with distributing Crime Stoppers materials and connecting with school districts and community groups.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to business session. Our first item is approval of minutes for business session. So move. Is there a second? Second. Okay by saying aye. Aye. All right. Motion passes. We have two updates from KCPD. Good things happen to good people. So we had Captain Kobanal before. Magic. Major Kobanov with the promotion. We're happy to have you come back. So, sir, take it away. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of the city council, city manager Brian Platt. My name is Major Martin Cobanal, KCPD. And this afternoon, we have two KCPD updates. These updates will be provided by Detective Kristen Ludwig with Create KCPD, who's assigned to the Kansas City Crime Stoppers. And then from Captain Marissa Barnes and Sergeant Joseph Bediaco, KCPD in the Human Resources Personnel Division. Christine. Good afternoon, everybody. My PowerPoint up here. Uh-oh. While you're getting your slides ready, can I ask who that relaxed looking gentleman in the tan suit jacket is right there talking to Marcus Smith. Can he stand and identify himself? Yeah, that civilian out there and hairy. I don't recognize him looking all relaxed. Tighten up security. Good to see you, Officer Bain. Welcome back. All right, go on ahead, ma'am. Yes, thank God he's here. I don't know what I'd do. Okay. Gotcha. I've only been here for uh assigned to crime stoppers for four months. So good afternoon, and it's nice to meet all of you. My name is Christina Ludwig. I've been with uh Kansas City, Missouri Police Department for a while. My most recent assignment was uh to the crime commission, Kansas City Metro Crime Commission, which is a 501c3 over four programs. The SAFE program, second chance, the Metro Community Service Program, and then the program that I am now the coordinator of, which is Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline. So we cover approximately nine counties. This tips hotline. It all started back in 1982 with uh a telephone hotline. And through the years we've upgraded our technology just to keep up with the times like everybody else. So we have a wonderful website, AC Crimestroppers.com.

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