By Scott Edger
Little Apple Post
At a time when the rates of crime and violence are skyrocketing around the country, the Law Board learned Monday that Riley County is seeing improved crime rates.
Sergeant Nate Boeckman informed board members of better local crime numbers from the new Kansas Bureau of Investigation crime index.
Boeckman told the Board that the 2020 violent crime rate in Riley County decreased by nearly 19 percent over 2019, and property crime fell by 5.1 percent over that period.
The overall crime rate in Riley County fell by just over seven percent. The murder rate did increase – from one homicide in 2019 to three in 2020.
RCPD Director Dennis Butler said that last year the country saw the largest violent crime increases in the history of U.S. crime statistics.
“We weren’t able to escape that trend,” he said.
Board member Linda Morse said it is obvious the pandemic was a source of chaos. “Covid had a very unsettling effect on our whole society,” she said.
Boeckman said that despite the higher homicide rate, Riley County is below the state average for every crime category.
The complete 2020 KBI Kansas Crime Index is available at https://www.kansas.gov/kbi/stats/docs/pdf/2020%20Crime%20Index.pdf.
In other business, Morse acknowledged public complaints regarding the Board’s approval of two percent raises for RCPD personnel in the 2022 budget.
Due to COVID uncertainty, the Law Board did not approve COLA raises for the 2021 budget.
In defending the salary increases, Morse pointed out that the increased pay does not match steadily rising inflation or ballooning housing costs.
She noted sharp increases in housing prices and skyrocketing inflation that the Kansas City Star claims will drive home prices for the area an expected 9.2 percent higher in just a year. The national inflation rate over the last year is 5.4 percent
She then noted that the RCPD cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) has historically been just 1.65 percent.
“That’s a big difference,” she said. “I think we did our best to look into the crystal ball for 2022. It may not be enough but at least we had the courage to do it.”
The approved Manhattan budget is $22.98 million - an increase of 3.57 percent over 2021. The funding allows the department to increase the base salary to include merit raises, adequate cost of living adjustments, two administrative technician positions, a jail cook and security screener. The funds will also allow for a slight bump in the operational training budget and an additional liability insurance.
Captain Brad Jaeger updated the Board regarding credit card payment options for records services. The department’s previous system was all but archaic. Until only recently, the only payment options were cash, check or money order. People needing to pay fines or processing fees were unable to make a payment online or over the phone.
The department now utilizes a Square account to process card payments for things like fingerprint fees and document acquisition.
Jaeger pointed out that the RCPD is simply “catching up with the times” by adding the service. He also told the Board that the merchant fees charged to RCPD for processing card transactions are nominal.
Butler said that the impetus for enhancement measures like the new payment systems comes from the staff doing the actual work in their areas. He said that it is the front-line staff who see the needs and flesh out the details about how to increase efficiency and better serve the public.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to provide better services to our citizens,” he said.
Officer Rachel Pate from the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 17 updated the board on launching the Cops and Kids program. She said donations for the initiative are already coming in, with the program set to start in early December.
Pate also expressed the desire of the FOP to again be a part of the search and hiring process for a new director.