The Patrol Division Consists of 45 officers in 5 units. These include:

• 1 Administrative Sergeant - Open
• 1 Community Policing Sergeant - Sgt. Jason Krohne
• 4 Shift Sergeants - Sgt. Jim Wells, Sgt. Chad Phillips, Sgt. Frank Thurman, Sgt. Woodrow Painter
• 18 Full-time Patrol Officers
• 4 School Resource Officers
• 1 Traffic Safety Officer
• 1 Animal Control Officer
• 1 Canine Unit
• 9 Strategic Reserve Officers supervised by Sgt. Joseph King
• 5 Civilian Patrol Officers (Volunteer status)

The Patrol Division Provides 24 hour daily service for all unincorporated areas of the county plus some municipalities. Duties and responsibilities include preliminary investigations, preventative patrol, selective enforcement, response to calls for service, investigation of traffic crashes, traffic enforcement, incident reporting, warrant service, service of Court ordered papers, and to provide assistance to any other police agency upon request.

The Patrol Division advocates preventative patrol and strives to maintain high visibility as a way to deter crime. The Division also utilizes numerous building and area checks throughout the county in its crime preventive methods. On average the deputy's conduct over 36,000 area checks annually, this exemplifies the types of self-initiated activities the officers employ in their dedication to serving the citizens. These preventative patrols help in the reduction of crime and to reduce the fear of crime.

The safety of the motoring public is always a major concern. Through Partnerships with the Missouri Department of Transportation-Highway Safety Division, and the Missouri Safety Center, the Sheriff's Office has made great efforts in reducing the number of injury and fatality crashes. The Patrol Division supplements traditional methods of traffic enforcement by incorporating several other methods of enforcement including the analysis of common crash locations.

When certain violations are determined to be a significant contributing factor to crashes, selective enforcement is conducted in areas that have a high potential for traffic violations. On average there are over 11,000 car stops made by deputy's annually which shows their dedication to reducing crashes. These activities are enhanced through the Missouri Department of Transportation-Highway Safety Division providing overtime funds for officers to work selective enforcement of hazardous violations and DWI enforcement. These DWI Enforcement efforts are done with the use of DWI Checkpoints and "Wolfpacks". Wolfpacks are done in selected area's that have had a high number of alcohol related crashes and are patrolled by several officers who are specifically looking for intoxicated drivers. Occasionally road designs or surface types have been determined to be inappropriate for a particular area and in these cases working together with the Missouri Department of Transportation the necessary changes have been made to prevent further crashes.

Other areas the Patrol Division are involved in are:

• Contract Policing
• Traffic Unit
• Strategic Reserve Unit
• Civilian Patrol Unit
• Animal Control Unit
• Canine Unit
• Community Policing Unit
• School Resource Officer
• Expanded Description of Selective Service

Contract Policing

In February 2001 an agreement was made between the Sheriff's Office and the City of Dearborn to provide police services to the City of Dearborn. In November 2004 an agreement was made between the Sheriff's Office and the City of Houston Lake to provide police services to the City of Houston Lake. The assigned officers work with the Dearborn and Houston Lake community's addressing the concerns of the citizens and patrolling the city's to enforce traffic laws and deterring criminal activity.

Traffic Unit

The Patrol Division has one full time officer assigned to traffic safety and crash investigations. This position has been made possible through a partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation - Highway Safety Division that provides a grant for one-half of this officer's salary.

The Traffic Officer investigates all serious traffic crashes in the unincorporated areas of the county. He also conducts traffic enforcement in areas with high numbers of crashes in an effort to reduce the number of crashes. Crash statistics are analyzed by this officer to determine the areas that need increased traffic enforcement.

Strategic Reserve Unit

The Platte County Sheriff's Office Strategic Reserve Unit is comprised of community members working part-time as commissioned deputies for the Sheriff's Office. Fully certified according to current P.O.S.T. standards, the Strategic Reserve Unit augments the ever increasing need for additional law enforcement personnel in Platte County by donating their time in an effort to make our community a safer place.

Primarily assisting the full-time Patrol Division, Strategic Reserve Unit members provide a variety of services and expertise to all areas of the Sheriff's Office.

Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Platte County Sheriff's Office Strategic Reserve Unit should contact Captain Steve Johnson at 816-858-2424, or by mail at 415 Third St, Suite 10 , Platte City , Missouri 64079 .

Civilian Patrol Unit

The Platte County Sheriff's Office Civilian Patrol Unit was started in 2005 it is now comprised of community members donating their time for the Sheriff's Office and the community. The Civilian Patrol Unit augments the ever increasing need for additional law enforcement personnel in Platte County by donating their time in an effort to make our community a safer place. These volunteers are not commissioned deputy's, they are trained and able to patrol the county acting as the eye's and ear's of the Sheriff's Office reporting criminal activity to patrol officers.

Primarily assisting the full-time Patrol Division, Civilian Patrol Unit members provide a variety of services and expertise to all areas of the Sheriff's Office. We hope to expand this project in the future.

Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Platte County Sheriff's Office Civilian Patrol Unit should contact Captain Steve Johnson at 816-858-2424, or by mail at 415 Third St, Suite 10 , Platte City , Missouri 64079 .

Animal Control Unit

The Animal Control Unit consists of a single certified officer that has the responsibility to enforce state laws and county ordinances in regards to canine complaints. This unit was initiated in 1997. The officer is responsible for all canine complaints in unincorporated areas of Platte County and also assisting the Cities of Platte City and Dearborn.

Canine Unit

The Canine Unit is tasked with supporting overall operation of the Sheriffs Office. The canine and handler are trained in the areas of drug searches, fleeing suspect apprehension, building searches, tracking, officer protection and public education.

Community Policing Unit

In 1996, the Sheriff's Office received a grant from the Federal Government for one Community Policing Officer. Throughout the last few years this has expanded to 4 officers.

In August 2001 a Community Policing Deputy was assigned part time to the North Platte High School as a School Resource Officer. He works very closely with the school administration and the students. He works part-time at the school and part-time on Community Policing projects.

Community Policing started out as a specialized unit but now has evolved into all aspects of the Patrol Division. All Patrol Deputy's now perform the functions of the original Community Policing Officers. This has changed community policing from a unit goal to the entire Division providing enhanced services to the citizens of Platte County.

The primary goals embraced

• Form partnerships with the citizens and work together to identify, prioritize and solve community problems.
• Reduce the occurrence and fear of crime.
• Increase citizen satisfaction with services provided by the Sheriff s Office.
• Reduce repeat calls for service.
• Empower citizens to resolve many neighborhood/community problems.
• Improve coordination between district patrol officers, the community, civic groups, business associations and other public service providers.
• Link citizens with the correct service provider to solve neighborhood/community problems.
• Assist community residents in having a voice in the application of government services.
• Increase the perception of safety in the neighborhoods by making them defensible against crime.

The goals of the Community Policing Unit are continuously enhanced and expanded to meet the communities needs through the utilization of all law enforcement assets in conjunction with those of the local, county, state community, and social service based agencies. Techniques and resources employed in meeting these needs are:

• Home/Business security checks - a check of a business or residence to better reduce the chances of them being victims of property crimes.
• Kid Print - A child identification tool for emergencies.
• Business contacts help the Sheriff's Office keep better informed on how to best serve the business community.
• Aggressive proactive patrol in areas with high incidents of criminal activity.
• Selective enforcement - targeting selected areas where there are complaints of problems, such as traffic problems or criminal activity.
• Problem solving - going beyond the normal scope of police response to find long term solutions to problems, not just a temporary fix.

Patrol Officers are available to assist all citizens and visitors within the Platte County community by calling 816-858-3521. The Community Policing Sergeant can be contacted directly by calling (816) 858-1960 or through the dispatcher at (816) 858-3465.

School Resource Officer

The School Resource Officer (SRO) program is another step in community oriented policing. The SRO is an asset used by the community and the school in an attempt to address situations in the lives of students in a manner other than the judicial system.

The SRO is a proactive approach to deal with the pressures that today's youth finds themselves having to confront. This includes the use of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco, along with peer pressure, gang activity, and sex. These situations are not only in the schools, but in the community as well. The approach of addressing these issues only in the school, or only in the community, has not been completely effective. Children affected by substance abuse or gang activity in the community will be carrying that into the school, which in turn affects other students, educators, and administrators.

Traditionally, police and school did not interact until one called upon the other. The Platte County Sheriff's Office, Park Hill School District and the North Platte School District are working together to confront problems our students must face today. By addressing these issues together and proactively, we believe that within the Platte County area, we can reverse the trends that are hurting our youth and education.

Who are the Platte County Sheriff Office School Resource Officers?

At Park Hill High School:Deputy Richard Ford phone 816-359-6571

At Congress Middle School: Deputy Jason Phelps phone 816-359-6342

At Lakeview Middle School: Deputy Jerin Almond phone 816-359-6450

At North Platte High School: Deputy Tom Taulbee phone 816-450-3344

Expanded Description of Selective Service

These popular services have contributed significantly to personal safety and crime prevention and warrant further emphasis. They have also fostered a closer relationship between the Division's Officers and the community resulting in a greater understanding of the benefits of total community involvement.

• Residence Check - is a service for those who are going to be out of town for a few days and want their residence periodically checked by patrol officers. You can access this service by completing the Residence Check form on the main page of the Sheriff's Departments web page or by contacting the dispatchers at 816-858-3521.

• Home or Business Security Check - a service performed by specially trained officers who make on-site security checks of private residences or businesses providing information on potential security weaknesses and offering possible solutions to properly secure their premises.
• General Community Programs - a variety of services including assisting with bicycle safety rodeos, supporting crime watch, helping in the establishment of neighborhood watch programs, providing child, adult and senior safety tips plus other similar programs.

Page last updated: 4/26/2007