Featured Article -- June 2006

New Intelligence Unit Established

Submitted by the Independence, Mo., Police Department

Although it became painfully clear to everyone on September 11, 2001, public safety professionals have long known that having advance information about an adversary’s activities is the best way to prepare for and defend against an attack.  

One of the newest and most powerful weapons in the Independence Police Department’s (IPD) fight against crime and terrorism is a new Intelligence Unit.  Established as a part of the department’s homeland security efforts, this unit enhances the IPD's ability to gather, analyze and interpret intelligence information to better secure the community.   

The unit is supervised by Sergeant Ken Bergman, and the detectives assigned to this specialized unit are tasked with attempting to determine the type, scope and involvement of criminal activity in Independence, as well as projecting the nature of potential future criminal actions.

As a part of this mission, members of the IPD Intelligence Unit are actively working with regional officials to bring the KCTEW to full operations.  They consider this effort to be so significant to the metro area that their department’s commitment includes a seat on the KCTEW Executive Committee which serves as a board of directors for the organization.

IPD officials hope that the efforts of their new Intelligence Unit will lead to an enhanced ability to detect and apprehend those individuals engaged in organized criminal activities, stem the flow of illegal drugs, and provide a means to identify and prevent terrorism and violent criminal acts. 

The welfare and safety of all citizens remains the primary emphasis of the IPD.

 

The threat level in the airline sector is HIGH or Orange. See www.dhs.gov for details.

An online Suspicious Activity Report Form (SAR) will be available soon.