New job, old issues

Hello Chief Thomas Dailey!

Welcome to Eastern Jackson County and your new post as head of the Independence Police Department. On paper, you seem to have an impressive background. It seems as if Independence has selected a great candidate. Congratulations.

I have no doubt you’re ready to skip all the pleasantries and get right to protecting and serving the residents of the Queen City. That’s where I enter the equation.

During your time with the Kansas City Police Department, you no doubt noticed that everyone is a critic when it comes to law enforcement. In this part of the metro, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more interested observer of the IPD than yours truly. Some folks read my commentary and assume its a product of race baiting and anti-law enforcement vibes. That’s wrong, and in a lot of ways that description is based on those folks’ personal perceptions. I prefer to think of it as high expectations.

You’re assuming command of  a very professional and very effective police. For the most part, the IPD handles its duties in close concert with the community’s wishes. However, the IPD isn’t perfect and can stand to improve in a few areas as well.

You’ll find – as in the preceding paragraph – that I have no problem praising the department, but I refuse to blindly co-sign the activities of police when I see a problem. From time to time I’ll share my ideas and differences of opinion here. 

For instance, racial profiling is a problem in Independence and Eastern Jackson County as a whole. Many folks want to blame Kansas City for the IPD’s high number of vehicle searches involving African-Americans and Hispanics, but I feel that’s a copout. Hopefully you’ll use your skill and experience to help the IPD better manage that problem.

I also hope increase the effectiveness of the IPD’s valiant fight against drugs. Coming from Kansas City, you know how narcotics act as the gateway to crimes such as theft, assaults and possibly murder. As the affluency of certain neighborhoods in Independence decrease, the cancer of drugs will likely strike. If Independence is ever to be successful in fighting that scourge and shedding its meth-haven label, it needs to continue acting proactively. I wish you the best in that battle.

I could cite a few more issues, but we’ll save that discussion for another time. This is supposed to be a welcome letter, and they’ll be plenty of time to tackle those items later.

In the meantime, take some time to grab a few deep breaths and settle into your new post. As you move forward, I wish you the best of luck. Welcome to Independence.