De Soto Missouri Police Department

MONTHLY REPORT NOVEMBER 2020 COMMUNICATIONS During the month, dispatchers entered 1358 calls for service into the C.A.D. system. (Computer Aided Dispatching) The Communications Department entered 9 warrants from the court, and cancelled 1. ... POLICE Police Officers took 103 police reports for a variety of reported crimes. Of the 103 police reports officers took, 20 resulted in a physical arrest. (Suspect was placed in handcuffs) Comparatively, Officers made 35 in October, 39 in September and 57 physical arrests in August. The 20 physical arrests resulted in the following associated charges: 19 were Felony charges 15 were Misdemeanor charges 1 was a drug charge. Officers issued 48 citations or summons. Training: MIRMA: 32 hours MIRMA Leadership: 14 hours K-9 Training: 2 hours Type II Breathalyzer Training: 7 hours CIT Training: 40 hours Total: 95 hours The Code Enforcement Officer responded to 146 calls for service during the month. Of those calls, there were: 2 derelict vehicles removed. 1 property cleaned up/brought up to code. 1 investigation. 6 citations. 4 canines impounded. 1 feline impounded. 5 dead animals removed from the roadway. 5 animals were taken to the vet. 2 animals were released. The De Soto Kennel had the following activity: 6 dogs and 1 cat were adopted 6 animals were returned to owners 13 total animals impounded The kennel received 46 donations of various items, (Blankets, Food, Treats, Toys, collars, etc.), plus two cash donations, one equaling $50.00 and one for $10.00.

The fire at the recycling center is still active. Please avoid driving to the area of East Main St. as there are emergency crews still working.

Tonight on the news was a video that was the subject of the investigation and charges filed against three of our former officers. To our community; the behavior seen on the video is not indicative of the great job many of our officers do every day. There are many good officers at the De Soto Police Department. As Chief, I see the great job many of them do. I also know this through my many contacts with community members who often approach me and report how much things have... improved over the last two and a half years. The actions you see in the video are not indicative of our body of work, as we continue the process of rebuilding this department. One of the things we did as a department, after its near collapse in July 2018 was to put in place policies and procedures in an effort to improve operations. One of the improvements we made was to our use of force review. In the case of the assault in the jail, the incident was caught by that procedure and the improvements made during our recent jail remodel, which included new cameras. After the incident was discovered, it was assigned to an investigator to do an internal investigation. A request for a criminal investigation was then made to the Jefferson County Sheriff. I can speak for all of the officers of the department that we have felt a full range of emotions including anger, embarrassment and disappointment regarding this incident. We are committed to moving forward and making improvements to all facets of our operations. We definitely want to thank those in the community that have offered support for our efforts. I’m happy to announce that as part of our efforts to improve, we applied in November 2020 for certification of the department, and look forward to improving our operations and standards during that process. The officers that remain are dedicated to these and other efforts to serve our community with strength and professionalism. I also want to thank Dave Marshak, the Jefferson County Sheriff, and his investigators for their quick response to our request for an outside, independent investigation. Jeff McCreary Chief of Police

Happening now! Jeffco Shop With a Cop’s drive thru gift giving event #1 of 2, in Hillsboro! We are providing gifts to 135 children today! A lot of happy/excited children! We are blessed to meet each and every single one of them!

Thank you to all of our local partners for a successful Trunk or Treat and Halloween night Trick or Treating. It would not have been possible without our partnerships with Sycamore Hills Apartments, De Soto Fire Department, Valle Ambulance District, and the many local family owned businesses who donated to the event. Special thanks to Linda and Clay Henry for handing out candy at City Hall. During Trunk or Treat we were able to hand out lots of candy, Child ID kits and surgical masks to participants. The crowd was overwhelming! Thanks again De Soto for proving what a great community we have!

We are getting so excited for this Trunk or Treat on October 30th, from 6-8pm!! A few things- Since National Night Out was cancelled, we have invited our police... officers to join in on the fun at our Trunk or Treat! K9 Coco will be there too!! Hopefully this will give our community the opportunity to show them our appreciation! We will be selling the t-shirts from National Night Out at our Trunk or Treat and all profits will still be going to Southeast Missouri Family Violence Council. We will be having the FREE raffle and offering the FREE Child ID kits as well. WE ARE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO SET UP AND HAND OUT CANDY, please message us on here or call 636.337.5350!! We are looking to have an awesome turnout and hope to have an awesome time!! See you there!! See more

Ahead of tonight’s planned protest/demonstrations, and for guidance and safety, we will be doing the following: To insure the safety of protesters/demonstrators at City Hall, we will have the front of the building to the sidewalk taped off from Second Street to the Alley between Main Street and Second so they can use this area. The sidewalk directly across the street will be closed to all pedestrian traffic from Second Street to the alley between second and Main Street. We as...k that all please respect their space and allow them to exercise their constitutional rights to peaceably assemble and free speech. We also ask that everyone know that our Fire Department, located near City Hall on Second Street, may need to respond to emergencies so be aware of emergency vehicle traffic. The planned protest located on Main Street near Boyd Street will also have an area taped off from Boyd Street to Easton so that they too may have a safe area in which to exercise their constitutional rights. We ask that all please respect their space and allow them to exercise their constitutional rights to peaceably assemble and free speech. It is also important to note that in respect for our business owners, we ask you to not block access into and out of their places of business. We also do not plan on any street closures.

If anyone has knowledge of who we might contact in reference to setting up a safe area in front of city hall for Tuesday night's protest, please call the station at 586-8891 and leave a message for the Chief of Police. We wish for the event to take place in a safe manner. We are a small police department and do not constantly monitor this page.

*CANCELLED* The De Soto Police Department, in conjunction with our community partners regretfully have to cancel the event. As you know, Jefferson County is a COVID hotspot, and with many of our activities being "hands-on" we feel the risks outweigh the benefit of having the event. We do not feel that we can properly serve food or conduct those "hands-on" activities with the ability to ensure these high contact, high exposure, potential risks are safe.... The department will consider a later community collaborative event when the risks subside. Thank you all for all you do to support us!

On Sunday, 10/4/2020, the department’s administration received notification of a social media post with an allegation of an improper display involving one of our officers. We are currently investigating the allegation and will act according to our department policy, city policy and applicable law. The department takes all allegations seriously, and administrative staff assigns internal investigations to appropriate person(s) within the department.

MONTHLY REPORT AUGUST 2020 During the month, dispatchers entered 1601 calls for service into the C.A.D. system. The Communications Department entered 0 warrants from the court, and cancelled 20. ... Police Officers took 119 police reports for a variety of reported crimes. Of the 119 police reports officers took, 57 resulted in a physical arrest. (Suspect was placed in handcuffs) Comparatively, Officers made 58 in July, 40 physical arrests in June, and 17 physical arrests in May. The 57 physical arrests resulted in the following associated charges: 46 were Felony charges 48 were Misdemeanor charges 14 were drug charges Officers issued 94 citations or summons Employees also attended 42.5 hours of training for the month. The Code Enforcement Officer responded to 210 calls for service during the month. Of those calls, there were: 1 derelict vehicles removed. 2 properties cleaned up/brought up to code. 2 investigations. 2 citations. 7 canines. 1 feline. 9 dead animals removed from the roadway. 2 animals were taken to the vet. 5 animals were released. 1 dog and 1 cat were adopted 5 animals were returned to owners 13 total animals impounded Sent to APA Rescue: 6 kittens / 1 adult cat. There were various donations of 23 diverse items. (Harness, Food, Treats, Toys etc.). This included three cash donations totaling $420 dollars. I appreciate the opportunity to present this information to you and to continue to show the activity of our department to the community. Jeff McCreary Chief of Police

This event is still a go! We ask that everyone consider wearing a mask and practice social distancing during this outdoor event!

We have been notified by MOSA, that their event has been cancelled for tomorrow afternoon. The event on Main Street, which is grassroots and does not have a group name or affiliation, has not contacted us. All streets are expected to be open at this time. Any group gathering on Main Street should note the following information:...Continue reading

*ANNOUNCEMENT* We have now been in contact with two groups wishing to have gatherings on the 9th of September. One group, MOSA, will be in front of City Hall Starting at 4 PM and is a peaceful demonstration.... One Group (No group name given) will be on Main Street starting at 4 PM and is also expected to be a peaceful demonstration. *EDIT* the organizer of the second group states the intention of the group is pro- police. Sorry for the omission, however, we did not state the intention of the first group either. Through conversation and looking at their page they are committed to social justice. We do not expect any issues with either group. The department is well prepared to ensure a safe event for all.

Upon being notified that there was a local page with a discussion regarding a demonstration in De Soto on September 9th that had numerous comments and mis-information, we want to set the records straight. The De Soto Police Department has not been officially notified by either City Hall, or the MOSA group that there has been anything planned. The only information we have at this time is... from a Facebook page. We know of no permits and have had no contact from the group yet. I as Chief have reached out to a potential contact number, with no luck so far, and I have personally messaged their page without anyone getting back to me. Regardless of whether we have communication with the group, we are planning for the event, as it is posted on their page. From all of the information that we have gathered so far. The MOSA group has not committed any acts of vandalism, arson, assaults or anything else at any other event. This leads us to believe that the event will be peaceful. The department supports freedom of speech and we will do everything in our power to protect those exercising that right. The department's planning has contingencies for all potential outcomes, and will have staff available to ensure peaceful protest and protection of property. We are committed to having this event in a safe manner. Anyone who wishes to come to the event and violates local ordinance and or state law will be arrested and charges will be filed. If there is anyone in the MOSA group or knows someone in the group that reads this post, please have someone contact us so we can arrange and organize the event to help put everyone at ease. Call the station at 586-8891 and ask for the Captain or Chief. 8:00 am to 4 pm. See more

MONTHLY REPORT JULY 2020: COMMUNICATIONS During the month, dispatchers entered 1805 calls for service into the C.A.D. system. (Computer Aided Dispatching) The Communications Department entered 129 warrants from the court, and cancelled 41... POLICE Police Officers took 150 police reports for a variety of reported crimes. Of the 150 police reports officers took, 58 resulted in a physical arrest. (Suspect was placed in handcuffs) Comparatively, Officers made 40 in June, 17 physical arrests in May, and 11 physical arrests in April. The 58 physical arrests resulted in the following associated charges: 71 were Felony charges 64 were Misdemeanor charges 37 were drug charges. Officers issued 131 citations or summons Employees also attended 307.5 hours of training for the month. MIRMA 62.5 hours, Firearms 161 hours, Breathalyzer 80 hours, and K-9 3 hours The Code Enforcement Officer responded to 296 calls for service during the month. Of those calls, there were: 3 derelict vehicles removed. 1 properties cleaned up/brought up to code. 6 investigations. 3 citations. 6 canines. 0 feline. 6 dead animals removed from the roadway. 2 animals were taken to the vet. 10 animals were released. The De Soto Kennel had the following activity: 2 dogs and 2 cats were adopted 6 animals were returned to owners 11 total animals impounded There were various donations of 35 diverse items. (Detergent, Harness, Food, Treats, Toys etc.). I appreciate the opportunity to present this information to you and to continue to show the activity of our department to you and the community. Chief McCreary

Due to a Charter Internet issue, the online payment website is down. We have contacted Charter and they have not given us a time frame when this will be resolv...ed. You can still make payments via phone or at City Hall. Thank you for your understanding in this matter. We will notify everyone when it is back up and running. See more

We are asking for your help in identifying the individual in this video. Just saw this on Neighbors:https://ring.com/share/6854794141169333017?s=nw

MONTHLY REPORT JUNE 2020 COMMUNICATIONS... During the month, dispatchers entered 2002 calls for service into the C.A.D. system. (Computer Aided Dispatching) The Communications Department entered 42 warrants from the court, and cancelled 1. POLICE Police Officers took 151 police reports for a variety of reported crimes. Of the 151 police reports officers took, 40 resulted in a physical arrest. (Suspect was placed in handcuffs) Comparatively, Officers made 17 in May, 11 physical arrests in April, and 44 physical arrests in March. The 40 physical arrests resulted in the following associated charges: 38 were Felony charges 23 were Misdemeanor charges 12 were drug charges. Officers issued 94 citations or summons Employees also attended 108 hours of training for the month. The Code Enforcement Officer responded to 261 calls for service during the month. Of those calls, there were: 2 derelict vehicles removed. 0 properties cleaned up/brought up to code. 1 investigation. 2 citations. 4 canines. 3 feline. 10 dead animals removed from the roadway. 4 animals were taken to the vet. 9 animals were released. The De Soto Kennel had the following activity: 2 Dog Adoptions 8 Cat adoptions 6 Animals returned to owner 14 Total Intake The kennel received fifty items donated from eight Individuals. I appreciate the opportunity to present this information to you and to continue to show the activity of our department to you and the community. Jeff McCreary Chief of Police