Merriam Police Annual Report, 2023

MERRIAM POLICE DEPARTMENT

MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF

I’d like to thank the residents of Merriam, elected officials, City staff, and, most importantly, our officers for making 2023 a successful year. I’m presenting this annual report to show the work the men and women of the Merriam Police Department accomplished this year.

We had some personnel changes in 2023. Capt. Troy Duvanel retired after 28 years of service to Merriam residents. We lost several other officers for a variety of reasons. We worked hard and were able to hire nine new officers. They’re a great addition to our department, and we’re excited to get them out helping our community.

We continue to work on our Mental Health Co-Responder Program. We’re looking at new ways to continue to help those suffering from mental health issues. Our goal is to reduce the amount of police resources needed to help people in mental health crises and get them to the services they need. Our partnership with other Northeast Johnson County cities and Johnson County Mental Health is very beneficial to our residents. I’m happy to announce we received federal funding through the grant process to continue providing a second co-responder.

Throughout this report, you’ll find examples of our officers having positive interactions with our residents. It’s important to me and them that we’re engaged with our community outside of regular police duties. We continue to be involved in several community events, such as Coffee with a Cop, High Five Fridays and Motivational Mondays at the elementary schools, birthday parades, National Night Out, Citizen Police Academy, Faith and Blue, Merriam block parties, and Operation Rudolph. We’re also very involved in Special Olympics Kansas and helped raise thousands of dollars for this worthwhile cause.

Finally, thank you to our community for the outstanding support we continue to receive. It’s so nice to hear from all of you about the good work our officers do every day. One of the reasons we‘re able to attract and hire so many people is because of the positive interactions on display between our residents and the police department. The new officers all said they wanted to be part of something like that. I agree – there is something “Just Right” about our city.

Sincerely,

PATROL COMMANDER Maj. Chris

INVESTIGATIONS COMMANDER Capt. Jeremiah Waters

Darren L. McLaughlin Chief of Police

Brokaw

BUDGET EXPENSE REPORT

In 2023, Merriam's total police budget was $4,683,788. This amount included all projected costs of personnel, contractual services, commodities, and capital outlay purchases. Below is a breakdown of expenditures by major categories

PERSONNEL

This budget item includes salaries and benefits.

BUDGETED: $4,330,602

SPENT: $3,853,727

PERCENT OF BUDGET SPENT: 89%

ALL OTHER DISCRETIONARY ITEMS

This budget item includes utilities, equipment rental and repair, training expenses, vehicle repair and fuel, uniforms, and office equipment.

BUDGETED : $353,186

SPENT: $203,565

PERCENT OF BUDGET SPENT: 58%*

* The Co-Responder Program was grant funded, and we returned $108,055.57 of the discretionary budget.

Percent of budget spent in 2023: 87%

Police department spending was $626,496 under budget in 2023.

FORFEITURE REPORT

According to K.S.A. 60-4117, law enforcement agencies are required to report the status of their Special Law Enforcement Trust Fund in an annual report. The report must include the type and approximate value of the forfeited property, the amount of any forfeiture proceeds received, and how any of those proceeds were expended.

This section is included in all annual reports to ensure the Merriam Police Department stays in compliance with K.S.A. 60-4117. Any questions concerning specific details should be directed to the City of Merriam’s Finance Department.

LAW ENFORCEMENT SPECIAL FUNDS REPORT

Through the course of the year, the following receipts and expenses were made to this fund:

Fund balance as of Jan. 1, 2023

RECEIPTS

$2,338

Total funds received $0 Total Assets for 2023 $0

EXPENDITURES (purchases made in 2023 from the fund)

Total Expenditures in 2023 $0

Fund balance as of Dec. 31, 2023 $2,338

PATROL DIVISION

The patrol division is responsible for answering calls for service, traffic enforcement, traffic accidents, and other tasks essential to serving Merriam.

Merriam police officers work 8-hour shifts with varying start times to cover all 24 hours of the day, seven days a week. They're assigned to one of six supervisors.

In 2023, our officers answered 10,091 calls for service. These calls ranged from simple city ordinance violations to severe crimes involving personal injury. Merriam police officers also conducted 8,035 self-initiated citizen contacts. These included traffic stops, suspicious person checks, business checks, community outreach, and other miscellaneous duties. Officers wrote a total of 3,627 reports.

INVESTIGATIONS

The Merriam Investigations Unit consists of three detectives and a detective sergeant. In 2023, the unit investigated 362 cases. Of these, 56% of the cases were solved. The Merriam Police Department also contributed regularly to both the Kansas City Metro Squad and the Officer Involved Critical Incident Investigation Team (OICIIT). This year, officers and investigators helped out on one Metro Squad and one OICIIT investigations.

TRAINING

Each Merriam police officer received an average of 91 training hours in 2023. Officers were able to participate in various training types. Some of these training types included firearms, serious injury and fatality crashes, defensive tactics, ambush survival, real-world de-escalation, biased-based policing, legislative updates that included law changes and notable case laws, civil disturbance, leadership and wellness, use of force, emergency and pursuit driving, crisis intervention, drugged driving, combat first-aid, leadership, and many other types of training.

MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES

One of the fundamental duties of any police department is to investigate motor vehicle crashes. The City of Merriam has 65 miles of roadway within its borders, including approximately three miles of interstate highway. According to data provided by the Kansas Department of Transportation, the portion of I-35 just north of 75th St. is one of the busiest highway sections in Kansas. KDOT estimates more than 131,000 cars drive through Merriam each day.

2023 CRASH FACTS

There were 535 motor vehicle crashes reported to the Merriam Police Department in 2023 compared to 496 in 2022. These included:

▶ Injury crashes: 138

▶ Fatalities: 1

▶ Crashes over $1,000 in damage: 303

▶ Crashes under $1,000 in damage: 93

▶ Alcohol-related crashes: 29

▶ Non-highway crashes: 370

NOTE: The above statistics don't include crashes reported to and investigated by the Kansas Highway Patrol that occurred on I-35.

Shawnee Mission Parkway has the highest number of crashes in Merriam, not including I-35. Officers have identified it as a primary focus for traffic enforcement.

CRIME STATISTICS

Each year, we report crimes to the Kansas Bureau of Investigations.

CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

The Merriam Police Department tracks criminal activity and trends in the City. The chart below gives you information on some of the crime reports taken in 2023.

3 AGGRAVATED ASSAULT

OFFICERS AT WORK

Merriam police officers respond to many different types of service calls. The following are examples of memorable incidents handled by Merriam officers in 2023. The incidents on this list were submitted by patrol supervisors.

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT

MARCH 2 // CASE #2300642: The victim said the offender pointed a rifle at him while driving. The victim saw the vehicle go into an apartment complex. When officers attempted to talk with the offender, he ran away. Officers arrested him a short while later. The rifle was found in his vehicle.

PO Russell

AGGRAVATED KIDNAPPING

MARCH 18 // CASE #2300821: A woman called the police because the offender was threatening suicide by holding a gun to his head. When the woman tried to leave, he pointed the gun at her and said he would kill her if she left or the police came inside. He repeatedly attacked her, then he turned off the room’s breaker to keep it dark. She fought him in the dark and was able to escape. While barricaded inside the room, the offender fired the gun into the ceiling. He eventually surrendered.

Sgt. Jasinski, MPO Moeller, PO Latka

ATTEMPTED MURDER

APRIL 14 // CASE #2301101: Two men tried stealing a car. When the car’s owner came outside, the men drove off. The victim followed the men while calling the police. The suspects stopped on a city street and shot at the victim with a handgun and rifle. Officers found more than 20 shell casings at the scene.

Sgt. Jasinski, Det. Hirsch, MPO Soucie, MPO Meyers, PO Russell

AGGRAVATED INDECENT LIBERTIES

MAY 30 // CASE #2301583 & 2301587: Officers found the suspect and a minor in a park after hours. The suspect had supplied alcohol to the girl and was issued a citation. The girl didn’t disclose any sexual contact. The girl later admitted to sexual contact during an investigative interview and had evidence on her cell phone. The suspect has several open cases in Kansas and Missouri for similar events.

Sgt. Casaneda, Det. Hirsch, PO Hoff

FIRST DEGREE MURDER

JUNE 15 // CASE #2301735: The suspect fled from officers after refusing to pull over for a traffic violation. About eight blocks away, the suspect ran into a vehicle going over 100 mph. The driver of the vehicle hit was extricated and sent to a local hospital, where he later died. The suspect was found to be under the influence of alcohol.

Sgt. Casaneda, Sgt. Jasinski, Det. Hirsch

AGGRAVATED BATTERY

JUNE 22 // CASE #2301828: The victim’s roommate started hitting him while he was cooking breakfast. The victim fought back while continuing to be hit and was pushed downstairs. At some point during the fight, a broken piece of glass was used, and he was cut deep on his ankle.

MPOBates,POKeith,POMichael

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT LAW

ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

JULY 23 // CASE #2302151: Officers were investigating an aggravated burglary when a man drove by and threw a beer bottle at them. The man then tried to run over an officer and struck a parked patrol car. Officers pursued him with help from other agencies. In the course of the pursuit, he damaged four patrol cars and two civilian cars.

Sgt.Weiler,MPOLewis,MPOMoeller

AGGRAVATED ROBBERY

JULY 29 // CASE #2302217: The victim was hanging out in his car with a woman he knew from high school and another person he didn’t know. The offender tried to rob him with a knife, but the victim had a gun in the car. They fought over the gun, and it ended up being fired into the car’s roof. Officers later learned the woman and offender planned to rob the victim

Det.Ruby,MPOMeyers,POBerry,PORussell

AGGRAVATED BATTERY

AUG. 29 // CASE #2302527: The victim was stopped at a light when the offender got out of his vehicle and busted the rear window of the victim’s car. When he drove away, he struck the victim. The offender was later found, and he admitted to the road rage incident.

Det.Ruby,MPOLewis

STALKING

Oct. 1 // Case #2302820: An ex-boyfriend rang the doorbell of the victim. He was told the week before not to contact her again. Officers found the suspect driving away from the area. He kept coming from Iowa to contact her and admitted he knew it scared her.

Sgt.Weiler,MPOHirsch,MPOLewis

USE OF FORCE

Law enforcement officers face many challenges and occasionally need to use force to subdue a violent offender or take a person into custody for their protection. Merriam officers arrested 1,068 individuals in 2023 and only used force in 76 of those incidents. This is a testament to our officers’ ability to de-escalate tense situations and gain compliance without force.

The Merriam Police Department makes it a top priority to conduct comprehensive examinations of any incident when force is involved in making an arrest. It's critical to be absolutely sure each use of force was necessary and within policy. Therefore, each incident is reviewed by the officer’s supervisor and a three-member Use of Force Panel for a thorough analysis. The panel and supervisor examine the reports, videos, witness statements, and other evidence to get a complete understanding of the incident. Recommendations then are made to the training committee to consider whether lessons learned from the incident could benefit all officers in future work and improve best-practice standards.

We believe our comprehensive oversight makes the community safer and our officers more accountable.

THANK YOU'S FROM THE COMMUNITY

“I have enjoyed this Citizens Academy experience immensely. From shooting at the range to my ride along to going to the jail, my time in this class has been well spent. The thing that stands out the most is the bond and comradery your staff has. They are all professional and dedicated and extremely well-trained. Thank you so much.” - Citizens Police Academy Participant

“I would like to give praise to an officer I came across today. He walked into the McDonald’s off Johnson Drive, and everyone there stopped what they were doing to get their greetings in, and he listened to each of them. He had the respect of the entire room through acknowledging everyone around.” - Community Member

OUT IN OUR COMMUNITY

In October, 10 community members graduated from the Merriam Citizens Police Academy. We received a lot of positive feedback, including that it was a wonderful experience and they learned a lot about our police department and our city. Congrats and thank you to all who participated!

Community Service Officer Gavin Caldwell volunteering for Operation Rudolf.

Police Officer David Vincent attends a Halloween event at Merriam Park Elementary.

Merriam police officers with community members at a Coffee with a Cop event in October.

HIGHLIGHTS

RECOGNITION

Master Police Officer Gerry Eickhoff received the Merriam Police Department’s Live Saving Award for helping save a life. A resident had a heart attack, and Eickhoff took over CPR from a bystander until MED-ACT arrived.

Police Chief Darren McLaughlin said Eickhoff’s quick actions and calm demeanor kept the situation under control.

SERVICE AWARDS

Since 2016, Crime Analyst Seth Potts has worked behind the scenes, using statistics to make work easier for police officers. His efforts were honored on the international level. In August, he attended the International Association of Crime Analysts Conference, where he received the 2023 President Award.

Merriam Police Chief Darren McLaughlin said, “Seth’s expertise is amazing. It goes without saying his ability to find, collate, and present data in a meaningful and clear way is invaluable to us.”

PROMOTIONS

▶ Jeremiah Waters was promoted fom sergeant to captain in April. He’s a 19-year veteran of the Merriam Police Department.

▶ Jordan Berry was promoted to Master Police Officer in July.

RETIREMENTS

Capt. Troy Duvanel in March handed over his badge after 28 years with the Merriam Police Department.

Duvanel first interned with the police department before being hired as a rookie officer in 1995. He worked his way up the ranks and was promoted to captain in 2014.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better place to serve for over half my life,” Duvanel said.

Master Police Officer Gerry Eickhoff receiving his Life Saving Award with Chief Darren McLaughlin (left) and Mayor Bob Pape (right).

Master Police Officer Jordan Berry

Capt. Jeremiah Waters’ son pinning the captain’s badge on his uniform.

Capt. Troy Duvanel with Mayor Bob Pape at his retirement ceremony.

Crime Analyst Seth Potts with his President Award.

NEW STAFF

Our officers were actively recruiting during 2023 and attended various recruiting fairs in and around our area, They also attended fairs at Johnson County Community College, Emporia State University, and KC Veterans. This resulted in nine new members to our team!

GERMANY SPECIAL OLYMPICS

Capt. Jeremiah Waters has volunteered at Special Olympics Kansas events and programs for 16 years. In June, Waters flew to Germany to represent the Merriam Police Department at the Special Olympics World Games. Waters carried the Flame of Hope torch before the opening ceremonies in Berlin. He said the experience was life-changing.

“If we understand that everyone faces struggles in life at different times and in different ways, then maybe we can try to help each other out through those times and realize we’re all really the same,” Waters said.

OFFICER OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to Master Police Officer Chris Meyers for being named the 2023 Merriam Police Department Officer of the Year! Meyers has served with the Merriam Police Department for nearly nine years. His peers call him steady, reliable, and dependable. He routinely helps cover staff shortages and became an acting sergeant for about six months.

Meyers has demonstrated leadership and professionalism on calls for service and while training new officers. He routinely achieves high range scores and is in the running for the police department’s Top Gun award. His peers noted Meyers as having good judgment and decision-making abilities.

Meyers also is a firearms instructor, emergency vehicle operation instructor, stop stick instructor, lead drone pilot, police training officer, and the communications liaison for the department’s radio system.

We thank Meyers for his many dedicated years of service in the Merriam Police Department.

Capt. Jeremiah Waters holding the torch at the Special Olympics World Games.

Dax Driskill May

Gary Young August

Austin Zenitsky May

Jon Moll October

Dalton Peavler May

Austin Fulson October

Devin Newman July

Sydney Schneider August Ryan Albers November

Master Police Officer Chris Meyers