The number two priority identified in the city’s spring 2025 survey was the quality of police services. Only 10% of respondents (excluding those without an opinion on the subject) were “very satisfied” with the quality of local police protection. Similarly, only 8% were “very satisfied” with how quickly police respond to emergencies and just 4% were “very satisfied” with drug and criminal enforcement. Finally, 67% of respondents indicated that they felt unsafe in Downtown St. Joseph after dark. St. Joe’s historic downtown is brimming with potential as a destination with restaurants and unique attractions, but we will never achieve that potential if people do not feel safe there after dark.

Recently the Police Department announced that they had hired enough officers to meet their established personnel requirements. This is a good start, but we also need to retain those officers and continue to hire high-quality applicants.

To retain and attract more police and other first responders, I believe we should provide those public servants with childcare benefits. This is a huge obstacle for many young working people and I believe we owe it to the men and women who are willing to put their lives on the line for our community. The KCPD has worked with the State of Missouri to establish a pilot program to fund childcare benefits for their officers. I believe we need to work to provide a similar benefit for our officers.

Although not directly addressed in the survey, every time I knock doors, I hear from residents concerned about homelessness in our community, and much of their concerns are connected to concerns about public safety. I think the number of homeless people we have downtown is a tragedy and while I believe most do not pose a safety threat and just need help, I understand how their presence makes people feel unsafe. Improving this issue is one way we can address resident dissatisfaction with public safety. Working with social service agencies that shelter homeless people in our community and get them on a path to success is crucial. The more details city leaders have on their operations, the more solutions we can work on together.

For example, during the Walk for the Homeless, I learned that homeless people at one facility are only allowed space to store one duffle bag of personal belongings when they go into the shelter. This deters some homeless people from getting help. I tried to put myself in the shoes of someone living on St. Joe’s streets, imagining what I would do to protect myself against the elements. I imagined how many things in my life may have gone wrong to put me in that position and how I may not trust that things would get better after entering a shelter. Disposing of everything I had and everything I used to protect myself before getting into a shelter seems like a pretty big risk for someone who may not be accustomed to things working out for them.

Providing storage for clean and serviceable items these folks need could be something that gets a few more people off the streets. There are no silver bullets to solve hard problems, but addressing service agencies’ granular needs can help make things better, one issue at a time.