Crime dropped 14% overall in Leavenworth in 2021; report available online Each year the Leavenworth Police Department turns in an extensive report to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and provides a summary of that report to the Leavenworth City Commission. Police Chief Pat Kitchens discussed the report with the City Commission during a study session on March 1. Statistics from the Leavenworth Police Department show: - A drop in overall crime of 14%: Part I Crimes, which includes murder, rape, robbery, assault, theft or auto theft; were reported significantly less than 2020. In 2020 there were 1,902. In 2021 there were 1,581 reported. - Homicides were up from two to four. All four have been solved, Kitchens said. - There were 13 Professional Standards investigations, which are investigations about a police officer’s behavior or handling of a situation. Any complaint about a police officer's behavior is investigated by Maj. Dan Nicodemus, Deputy Police Chief, dnicodemus@firstcity.org. -There were 1382 arrests of adult offenders and 107 arrests of juvenile offenders. With the closure of the youth detention facility, these youth are taken to the Wyandotte County Juvenile Detention Center. There are many other statistics available. The police department collect a ton of data, Kitchens said. “As vital as this information is, it is only half of the equation,” Kitchens said. “Just as important as all this data is -- and it’s valuable that we use it
ABOVE: Police and emergency responders demonstrate a car accident at Leavenworth High School, in part to honor the life of 16-yearold Miranda Lynch killed by a drunk driver in 2021 by teaching children about safe driving. LEFT: Police joined with a local business to pass out snow cones to Leavenworth families.
-- as important to me is how people feel about this community, whether they feel safe. That’s a little bit harder to quantify and to measure.” The 2021 and past reports are available on the website here: https://www.leavenworthks.org/police/ page/2021-leavenworth-police-department-annualreport
Leavenworth County Historical Society gets Greenwood Cemetery listed on "Historic Places" Greenwood Cemetery, Limit and Tonganoxie Road, has been recognized on the Kansas State Historic Register of Places and has been nominated on the National Register as well, thanks to some hard work by the Leavenworth County Historical Society. It has close to 3,000 burials - about 1,700 of them known. Some burials are recorded in the 1850s and continue until the last recorded burial in 1955. In 1982 the cemetery was deeded to the City of Leavenworth. The City mows the property. The Greenwood Cemetery Preservation Commission was formed in 2021 to ensure the ongoing care and preservation of the historic property. The Commission includes representatives of the City of Leavenworth, the Leavenworth County Historical Society, the Daughters of the American Revolution, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Richard Allen Cultural Center. Jim Claunch, volunteer with the Historical Society, said he hopes the new historic designation will lead
City of Leavenworth, Kansas
to more community respect for the property. Look for the City website for more information in the coming weeks or contact the Leavenworth County Historical Society, (913) 682-7759. They will open the cemetery 1 to 4 p.m. Memorial Day, May 30, to visitors.
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