Budget Adjustments Will Happen in 2012 For Parkville P.D.

                                      PARKVILLE, Mo.----- The city of Parkville and its police department are facing big budget adjustments for 2012 and significant internal changes that are taking place now.

These adjustments and changes have been a long time coming in Parkville, and were sparked on March 7 when Parkville Police Lt., John Moyer resigned.

After 18 years of service with the Parkville Police Department, Moyer decided to take a job closer to home.

“I had another opportunity to work closer to home,” Moyer said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. I just thought it was the right time in my career to get closer to home.”

Moyer was an integral part of the Parkville Police Department, providing many services such as IT and police vehicle maintenance for the station as well as City Hall. Parkville Police Chief Kevin Chrisman said Moyer was more than a police officer.

“He was a commander here,” Chrisman said.  “He wore many hats. He was not only responsible for assisting me as the police chief in running the police department, he was also primarily responsible for the IT for the police station and City Hall. He helped build the system we are currently using.”

Parkville Police Officers Receive Life Saving Award

                                    All Ernest Kobak wanted to do was watch “Bonanza” on TV that evening last May, and if it weren’t for the efforts of two Parkville police officers that might have been his last round-up.

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            On Tuesday Feb. 15, Kobak, 73, and the two responding officers, Sgt. Kevin Davis and Officer Adam Welsh, were reunited at Parkville’s Board of Aldermen meeting. There the two officers were honored and received awards for their efforts in reviving Kobak.

 

            The events of May 6 were relived during the meeting as Parkville Police Chief Kevin Chrisman recounted the event to the packed audience.

            A call came in through dispatch around 3:15 p.m. that there was a medical emergency in the Pine Crest neighborhood. Davis was close to the area and responded quickly. Once he arrived at the scene he was approached by Kobak’s granddaughter who told him that her grandfather was on the floor and not breathing.

            “Once Sgt. Davis reached Kobak he realized he was in some sort of cardiac arrest, he was told that Kobak wasn’t under any current physician care and that he didn’t have any current medical conditions” Chrisman said.

            Davis hooked up the automated external defibrillator and moved Kobak to a hard surface and began to cut away his clothing. The AED showed Davis that Kobak needed to be shocked.

            “Sgt. Davis had the people clear and he did one shock,” Chrisman said. “About that same time officer Welsh arrived at the scene.”         

            Officer Welsh immediately began doing CPR and chest compressions on Mr. Kobak.  After their efforts and three shocks Kobak regained a slight pulse and started breathing.  Shortly after he began breathing, Kobak was taken to North Kansas City Hospital. A few hours later the Parkville Police Department received word that Kobak was in stable condition and was breathing on his own.

            For Kobak, the incident was a blur he can’t remember.

“I sat down to watch “Bonanza,” Kobak said. “The kids said, ‘No you can’t watch Bonanza anymore’, and then I woke up six days later in the hospital.”

            Even though Kobak can’t remember the two officers helping him that day he says he is very thankful.

“I can’t say enough praise to them,” Kobak said. “They are the reason I’m standing here today. I would have died if it wasn’t for the quick response, and that’s what made it possible.”

            Welsh had been with the Parkville Police Department for 17 months when the call came in. He says doing things like this is what policing is about.

“It’s always a good thing when the police get to help someone,” Welsh said. “Opposed to just writing tickets or arresting people, this is what we are here for, more than anything it’s to save lives.”

Davis has been with the Parkville Police Department for 20 years. He has been trained through the American Heart Association to respond to calls like these, and this wasn’t his first time.

“I’ve been on two or three things like this where the person didn’t survive,” Davis said. “This is the first person who survived and didn’t experience any long lasting ill effects.”

During the incident the officers didn’t have time to think. They just had to do what they were trained.

“The adrenaline didn’t dump until after the fact,” Welsh said. “I didn’t really think about it until he was in the ambulance and on his way to the hospital.”

“You just fall back on your training,” Davis said. “You feel a sense that you have to hurry, every minute that you don’t do everything you know it’s harder for them to survive.”

Chrisman said it was important for the two men to be formally honored.

“This is a proud moment,” Chrisman said. “It’s a great accomplishment and not one of them asked for any recognition. They need to know we appreciate and care about them.”

Davis has stayed in contact with Kobak over the months.

“He told me right before Christmas this year that he put a note in his grandkids Christmas gifts,” Davis said. “The note said if it weren’t for Sgt. Davis and Officer Welsh I wouldn’t be here for Christmas. Now that will break your heart.”

The Fashion Police Exist In Parkville

              

In Parkville, Mo., the fashion police might actually exist, at least for a day.                                            

                                                                                             

On Saturday, April 2, Watercolors High Fashion boutique is teaming up with the Parkville Police Department to raise money for the department’s Shop With a Cop Program.         

The Shop With a Cop Program is put on by the Parkville Police Department in December and is geared toward making Christmas brighter for needy children in Parkville.

The program started last December and sponsored 10 families. Parkville Police Chief Kevin Chrisman spoke about how the program works.

“Around Christmas time we try to identify disadvantaged families in the area that would not have a Christmas,” Chrisman said. “We afford them an opportunity to come to a local retailer where they are paired up with an officer in uniform.”

The program gives children a chance to shop for Christmas toys for themselves and spend time with a member of the Parkville Police Department.

“They get to spend anywhere from 150 to 200 dollars on anything they wish,” Chrisman said. “We encourage them to get toys and things for themselves.”

To raise money for this year’s program, Watercolors High Fashion and Worth Harley Davidson are sponsoring a fashion show.

The theme of the show is “Leather and Lace” and will showcase clothing from Watercolors High Fashion. Local residents from the Kansas City area will be modeling in the show.

A silent auction also will be held, and all the proceeds will go directly to the Parkville Police Department for the Shop With a Cop Program.

The event will be held at Finnigans Hall in North Kansas City, and the show begins at 8:30 p.m. The event is open to the public and donations are encouraged.

Chrisman says this event should be fun.

Chrisman said, “I attended one six months ago, and they are really upbeat. They have good music, and they’re a lot of fun.”

Members from the Parkville Police Department will be in attendance to answer questions about the program.

“We’ll probably have a table where we’ll be available,” Chrisman said.

Chrisman says this event is also a chance to show the community a different side of law enforcement.

“It’s a way for us to give back to the community and show that police officers do a lot more than just arrest people and take them to jail,” Chrisman said. “We are part of the community, and we care about the community.”

The Parkville Police Department is accepting donations and looking for sponsors to expand the program.

“I would like people to get involved with the Shop With a Cop Program,” Chrisman said. “It’s a very good feeling to help those in need, and to see the laughter and smiles on children’s faces is priceless.”

Officer Retention Affects Parkville Police Department

                                      The Parkville Police Department is not only fighting crime, it is fighting to hire and keep good officers. Officer retention is an ongoing issue for all police departments, but it affects small stations like Parkville in a big way.

            Parkville Police Chief Kevin Chrisman, has been at the station for two years and has already witnessed eight or nine officers leave and go on to new jobs.

            “It’s difficult to keep people for a long time,” Chrisman said. “Maintaining officers is not a new thing, it’s an ongoing process. Men and women come and go in this profession.”

            Chrisman explained why smaller stations like Parkville, which have fewer than 25 total employees experience a high turnover rate.

“We are a small agency. There’s a lot of police work to do here, but maybe for some people the excitement and the adrenaline rush is not here,” Chrisman said. “If they become a good cop in a smaller city they start applying for larger agencies where there is more money and more opportunity for advancement.”

            There are also many other reasons why police officers don’t stay in the profession, the general nature of the work could be a factor.

“In police work we work 24-7,” Chrisman said. “We work on holidays, and in some situations men and women leave because their spouses, quite frankly, complain about their duty hours. It may cause a problem in their home life.”

            Although officer retention is a problem for all police departments, it is a much bigger issue for stations like Parkville who don’t have as many employees.

“In larger police departments if they lose three or four in one day they have enough manpower to cover shifts,” Chrisman said. “They also have units that just do hiring, but in small agencies we do everything.”

It also affects the department financially and could cause the budget to be re-evaluated.

“In small agencies, when you lose one or two people in a close period of time, it does affect your staffing,” Chrisman said.

Remaining officers work extra shifts to pick up the slack. This eventually affects the budget because of overtime expenses.

Chrisman explained how officer retention affects him and the staff on a personal level.

“Just because I’m a police chief doesn’t mean that I don’t have emotions and care about people,” Chrisman said. “You do get attached to people. When you lose a good person it saddens you for a while, but you are also happy for them if they are going to do something that makes them happy.”

Currently Parkville is looking to replace two police officers and a lieutenant who resigned on Monday. Although they have been looking to hire for quite some time it’s not an easy process.

“Right now I’m down three people,” Chrisman said. “There’s a process. You can’t just quickly hire somebody. You have to get all their paper work. They have to go through a testing process, a physical, there’s a polygraph and a psychological test and a urinalysis test.”

Even if a candidate passes orientation they have to pass an 11-to 14-week training period where they are out on the street with an officer.

“Some people don’t make it through that,” Chrisman said. “I’ve already turned down two that we’ve paid some money on because they didn’t do well on some of the processes, and I don’t think they would be a good fit here.”

            Chrisman and the Parkville Police Station know this will be an ongoing issue but are keeping positive and trying to create a healthy working environment that will encourage people to stay longer.

“We want to make a pleasant place for people to work,” said Chrisman. “I’m always staying optimistic that when I pick people, I say this is the last group I’m going to hire. Hopefully by them being treated fairly and with compassion they will stay here longer, if not for the long term and retire here.”