Collaboration for Public Safety: A Success Story from Warrensburg, MO

Meeting of the Minds 2017• Sgt.JasonGilbert,AlcoholCompliance,WarrensburgPoliceDepartment

• HeatherJennings,formerpoliceofficer,UniversityofCentralMissouri

• Sgt.JoeJennings,AlcoholCompliance,UniversityofCentralMissouriDepartmentofPublicSafety

What’s It All About?• BriefHistoryofAlcoholProblemsinWarrensburg• CriticalIncidentTurningPoint• RalliedTheTroops• CityCouncil,CityProsecutor,PoliceDepartments,CommunityActionGroups,ProfessionalPartners

• PuttingthePlaninMotion• SUCCESS!• Sustainability

Warrensburg Alcohol Problems

• PineStreet• NonCompliantBarOwners• “PartyU”Mentality• Fights/Assaults/OfficerInjuries• Urinating/VomitingintheStreets/Sidewalks• StudentsPassedOutontheSidewalks• Robberies/Thefts/PropertyDamage

• HouseParties• Fights/Assaults/SexualAssaults• UnderageDrinking• Medicals

Show Me The Numbers!! Pine Street Only:

• LiquorLawViolationsin2007:254Casesw/MultipleArrests(293in2006)

• Assaults/Fights/Disturbancesin2007:154(207in2006)

• TotalCallsforServicein2007:656(956in2006)

• OfficersInjured2005-2007(2yrs10mon):• 19Injured,10wenttotheER,122MissedWorkingDays

• Numbersarefora10MonthPeriod(January–October)• NoClassesMay,JuneandJuly• ChristmasBreakLastHalfofDecember–FirsthalfofJanuary• So,Takeoutfourmonthsandthosenumbersarefor6Months

Critical Incident Turning Points February 2007: Large Scale Fight on Pine Street. Parties involved began to turn on Police. Officers were jumped on, beer bottles were thrown at them, bar stools thrown. Department “All Call” was initiated and then cancelled as order was restored. Several Officers went to the ER.

October 20, 2007: Large Scale Fight (RIOT) on Pine Street. Again Officers were targeted. This time we were unable to regain control. Riot Mace Canister Deployed, Department “All Call” was initiated and everyone responded in. Took over 2 hours to regain control and disperse the crowd. Multiple Arrests were made, More Officers were sent to the ER. Made KC news!

Homecoming 2007

• VIDEO

Rally The Troops!!

• GottheCityPoliceChiefonBoard• Spouses,Parents,Family,andFriendsofOfficersDescendedupontheCityCouncilandDemandedAction.

• PoliceDepartmentReachedouttotheUniversityofCentralMissouriPoliceandPresidentforSupport.

• PoliceDepartmentReachedouttoWhitemanAirForceBaseCommanderforSupport.

• ReachedOutToCommunityLeadersandCompliantLiquorEstablishmentOwnersforSupport.

• ReachedOuttoMissouriAlcoholandTobaccoControlforSupport.• UCMPublicSafetyReachedouttoUniversityStudentGovernmentandCampusOrganizationsforSupport.

Rally The Troops!!

• ImmediateActionPlanwasIntroducedtotheCityCouncil.• Calledfor21andUpintheBars.• CalledforanewCityJudgeandStricterFines• “AssaultingaPoliceOfficerisJustLikeAssaulting

AnyoneElse”• LowFines,$50toHitaCop

• CalledForAlcoholComplianceOfficerandEnforcement

• CityLiquorLicenseSuspensionsBasedonViolations

Our Own Bar Fight!!

• The“Problem”BarsResistedOrdinanceChanges• PledWiththeCouncilthatTheyWould“DoBetter”• ClaimedTheyWouldGoOutofBusinessWithTheChange!• MusthavebeenalotofSodaSalesandPoolGameMoney????

• Provideda“Plan”onHowTheyWouldDoThis.• Council–“TooLittle,TooLate”

• OtherCompliantBarOwners–HugeAsset• UCM,WAFB,LocalPress,CommunityLeadersSpokeOutfortheChanges!• StateLiquorControlReportedtotheCouncilaswell.

• CommunityConcerns:• MovetheMinorsintoNeighborhoodHouseParties• PolicePutintoPlacea“HouseParty”PolicyonDealingwithThese.• ZeroToleranceonIllegalParties(Loud,UnderageDrinking,Drugs,Parking)• UCMStudentGovernmentPutsout“Let’sParty”Fliers!

• CityWillLooseTaxRevenues.UniversityAttendanceMayDropw/oPartyRep.• ArgumentMadeSafetyvs.Money.WEWIN!!!

Things that assisted with controlling Pine Street

● AlcoholandTobaccoControl(ATC)revokedtheliquorlicenseoftwobarownersforlife.

● ProblemsonPineStreetwerewellpublicizedinthelocalnewspapers.

● WarrensburgCityCouncilapprovedanordinancethatonlypersons21andoverwereallowedinbars.

● Grantfundedenforcement● WAPIP● Cooperationbetweenlawenforcementagencies(WPD,ATCandUCM).

Warrensburg Police

• AlcoholComplianceOfficer

• ComplianceChecks

• PartyDispersals

• ZeroTolerance

• HousePartyPolicy

• StrictBackgroundsonLiquorLicenseApplications.

• EnforcementReportstoMissouriATC

• Community/BusinessTrainingsonFakeID’s,OverService,LiquorLawsandGuidelines,ManagerTraining

• BarInspectionstoAssureComplianceWithNewOrdinances.

City Government

• ReplacedTheJudge.

• PassedOrdinanceson21andUPonMarch12,2008

• UppedFinesinCityCourtforMIP,SupplyingtoMinors,AllowingMinorsintheBars,AssaultLEO,Obstruction,MisrepresentationofAge,HostLaw

• PutSuspensionProcedureinPlaceforNonCompliantLiquorEstablishments(Bars,Restaurants,PackageStores)

• MoreDetailedLiquorLicenseApplicationandProcess.

• ProvidedSupporttothePoliceDepartment’sEfforts!

UCM Public Safety

• PartneredwithWPDonComplianceChecks,PartyDispersals,ExtraManpoweronPineStreet.

• DesignatedanAlcoholComplianceOfficer.

• WorkedwithStudentOrganizationstoTeach“Safe”PartyPractices.

• CarriedZeroToleranceIdealsontoCampus.

University of Central Missouri

• SteadfastPublicSupportofEnforcementEfforts.

• HeldStudentsAccountableforOffCampusBehavior.

• Promotedthe“ViolenceandSubstanceAbuse”Office• MandatoryTrainingforStudentsViolatingLiquorLawandUniversityPolicyonDrugs/Alcohol/Violence

• FraternitiesandSororitiesHeldtoStandardofHavinga“RiskManagement”PersontoAddressTheseConcerns.

Warrensburg Main Street

• BarOwner’sAssociation• WorkedtoKeepAllBars“Honest”ThroughPeerPressure.

• WorkedwithTheCityandPoliceDepartmenttoKeepEventsSafeandLegal(BeerGardens,StreetDances,ETC)

• WorkedasaNeutralLiaisonBetweenTheBarOwnersandPolice.

Warrensburg Area

• ItisacoalitionmadeupofrepresentativesfromUCM,citygovernment,locallawenforcement,ATC,WhitemanAirForceBase,WarrensburgMainStreet,WarrensburgAreaChamberofCommerceandlocalbusinessowners.

• Itwasformedin2004andhasgoalsandobjectiveswhichareconsistentwiththestatewidePartnersinPreventioncoalition.

WAPIP’s VISION and MISSION

VISION- Warrensburg aspires to provide a healthy and safe environment for individuals, businesses and our community at large, regarding the sale, service and consumption of alcohol.

MISSION- WAPIP promotes a positive culture in Warrensburg by defining expectations for the responsible sale, service and consumption of alcohol , by providing support for initiatives designed to help reach expectations and by promoting accountability through ongoing evaluation of initiatives.

Missouri Alcohol and Tobacco Control

• RevokedLicenseofTwoBarOwnersforLife.

• HandedOutSuspensions/Revocations/FinesforLiquorLicenseViolators.

• ProvidedTrainingtoOfficersonPartyDispersalsandComplianceChecks.

• ProvidedTrainingstoLocalBusinesses.

• ActedasConstantResourceforthePoliceandCity.

CCORC Group Community Culture of Responsible Choices.

• Funded Through Federal EUDL Grant. • The mission of CCoRC is to reduce underage and high-risk alcohol use among Airmen

of rank E4 and below (typically 18-26 years old) stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base. • The CCoRC coalition consists of over 30 agencies in Johnson County, including

Whiteman Air Force Base, the University of Central Missouri, and the cities of Warrensburg, Knob Noster, and Holden. The coalition promotes a “no illegal or high-risk use” message for alcohol and drug prevention.

• Focusison…• Problem 1: Driving While Intoxicated • Problem 2: Underage Consumption of Alcohol • Problem 3: High-Risk Drinking

• ProvidedFundingforOverTimeandEquipmentforLEEfforts.

How Did We Do?

CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT LIQUOR LAW VIOLATIONS

WARRENSBURG POLICELOUD PARTY CALLS

BUSINESS DISTRICT TOTALS

0

75

150

225

300

LiquorLaws Assaults LoudParles

188

179

141

20

226

2007-20082008-2009

DISTURBANCES/FIGHTS

0

40

80

120

160

DISTURBANCES FIGHTS

19

78

55

152

20072008

UCM LIQUOR LAW ARRESTS

Keeping Up The Good Fight!!

• Enforcement(ComplianceChecks)taperedoffafterseveralsuccessfulchecks,however,theymustneverstop.Gottakeepthemhonest!

• AlwaysLookatImprovementstothePlan.Don’tbeafraidtochangewhatisn’tworking.

• KeepEveryoneInterested.PressReleasesonSuccessesandFailuresofLocalBusinesses.

• FighttoKeepthePendulumfromSwingingBackTheOtherWay!• Don’tLetThemForgetWhereYouCameFrom!

QUESTIONS?

Sgt.JoeJennings660-543-4123

jhjennings@ucmo.edu

Sgt.JasonGilbert660-747-9133

jasong@warrensburg-mo.com