April showers will bring forth significant growth for the Blue Springs Police Department.
All joking aside, it isn’t rain that will be responsible for the new detective or K9 unit that will be in place in May and early summer, respectively, but a combination of citizen input and budget priorities.
Needless to say, police personnel from the chief down are looking forward to it.
“With a new detective, we’re hoping that the case load for the detectives we do have decreases a bit,” Chief Wayne McCoy said. “The additional detective will help us relieve heavy case loads.”
The arrival of a new detective in May (a position to be filled in-house) marks the first time in years that such a new position has been created. What’s more, whoever fills the position will see his or her vacated position filled by yet another officer later this year.
Faced with a growing population, the city, which broke the state’s top 10 most populated cities last year, joins other fast-growing cities as they face a wide variety of offenses – felony and misdemeanor alike.
Currently the city has six general assignment detectives and two specialized detectives assigned to the Youth Outreach Unit. The new detective will join the general assignment desk where, depending on workload, he or she can expect to work an average of 40 active cases.
“That’s about average,” McCoy said. “Maybe a little more.”
The new detective will allow the department to focus additional investigation on lesser crimes such as low value thefts or property damage, according to McCoy.
Figures that chart growth in those problem areas will soon be updated for the general public in its annual report, the arrival of which, McCoy said, should be soon.
Troy Pharr, a detective and spokesperson for police, said the addition to the general assignment desk will be welcome.
“We investigate everything from homicide to property damage, which many people don’t realize,” Pharr said.
Later this summer police will also mark the arrival of yet another new addition – a K9 unit, which includes the dog, necessary equipment, a new cruiser and officer. Like the new detective position, whoever fills the K9 position will see his or her old position filled by a new officer later this year.
McCoy has consistently emphasized to city staff and, at one point, City Council that a new K9 unit would be invaluable because such a unit could help with missing persons or during those investigations when “tight spots” need examined and searched.
