Independence Police Department (Missouri)
Encyclopedia
The Independence Police Department serves the citizens of Independence, Missouri, a city of approximately 121,212 inhabitants (as of 2008) located in Jackson County, Missouri
just east of Kansas City
. According to the department, its mission is "to protect life, individual liberty and the property of all people within the City of Independence; to develop and maintain a positive relationship with members of the community; and to foster a positive work environment for police employees."
, bomb disposal, narcotic
s, traffic safety, criminal investigations, special victims unit, community services, and school resource officers. The Independence Police Department also has crime scene
investigation and laboratory resources.
, Lodge #1.
Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 674,158 in the 2010 census, Jackson County is the second most populous of Missouri's counties, after St. Louis County. Kansas City, the state's most populous city and focus city of the Kansas City Metropolitan...
just east of Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. According to the department, its mission is "to protect life, individual liberty and the property of all people within the City of Independence; to develop and maintain a positive relationship with members of the community; and to foster a positive work environment for police employees."
Resources
The Independence Police Department has a broad array of specialized services, including tactical operations, K-9Police dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
, bomb disposal, narcotic
Narcotic
The term narcotic originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties. In the United States of America it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives, such as hydrocodone. The term is, today, imprecisely...
s, traffic safety, criminal investigations, special victims unit, community services, and school resource officers. The Independence Police Department also has crime scene
Crime scene
A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by trained law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators or in rare circumstances, forensic scientists....
investigation and laboratory resources.
History
The Independence Police Department was created on August 8, 1882, when the "Night Watch" ordinance was repealed and a new ordinance entitled "Police" was approved. The "Police" ordinance allowed for a maximum of five men to be assigned to two watches, with a pay of $1.30/shift. The Independence Police Department has since grown to over 300 employees, including 207 sworn police officers.Line of duty deaths
| Name | End of Watch |
|---|---|
| Deputy Marshal Henry H. Hughes | February 10, 1877 |
| Chief John M. Swearingen | January 16, 1884 |
| Patrolman George Gilbert Barton Sr. | January 26, 1922 |
| Lieutenant David Kraxner | October 31, 1966 |
| Officer Terry Eugene Foster | March 17, 2001 |
Fraternal Order of Police
Independence commissioned police officers and civilian employees can become members of the Missouri Fraternal Order of PoliceFraternal Order of Police
The Fraternal Order of Police is an organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It claims a membership of over 325,000 members organized in 2100 local chapters , organized into local lodges, state lodges, and the national Grand Lodge...
, Lodge #1.
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Missouri
- Independence, MissouriIndependence, MissouriIndependence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...