Objectives
MCSP Public Service is focused on conducting illegal dumpsite and city park clean-ups, city and neighborhood beautification projects, graffiti removal projects and vacant lot clean-ups. Community service workers referred to Public Service by MCSP participate in these clean-ups and beautification projects, which would otherwise not be done, at no expense to taxpayers thus saving the city thousands of dollars each month.
The program is comprised of the KCPD, city departments of Parks and Recreation and Public Works, and The Keep Kansas City Beautiful program. In less than a year the Public Service Program has grown in recognition to where it is now widely known throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area because of its successes. In fact, MCSP has been described as “The best-kept secret in Kansas City.” At no expense to taxpayers, those individuals ordered to complete community service participate in MCSP Public Service clean-up projects throughout the Kansas City area making it a better place to live and work.
The MCSP Public Service Program is an example of the great work that can be accomplished when city and private enterprises combine to attack a problem that plagues our city, that being trash on our highways, in our parks, and in our neighborhoods.
The Metropolitan Community Service Program (MCSP) began operating under the control of the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission (herinafter "Crime Commission") in March of 1994. MCSP is a component of the Crime Commission dedicated to supporting metro area non-profit organizations by providing a source of no cost manpower provided by the courts through an alternative sentencing program that offers community service rather than costly and non-productive incarceration.
In 1996 MCSP expanded operations to the public service segment with the start up of citywide clean-up activities. The MCSP Public Service Program is dedicated to assisting area communities and neighborhoods by utilizing the same no cost community service manpower to clean up streets, parks, dumpsites, etc. throughout the Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas and Independence, Missouri areas.
In 1997 MCSP established an every Saturday morning clean-up program with the South Patrol Division of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department (KCPD). The new program utilized police officers dedicated to community policing activities to supervise community service workers who participated in the program by cleaning up city streets, highways, neighborhoods, etc.
In 2000 the program was expanded to all five KCPD Patrol Divisions that included South Patrol, Metro Patrol, Central Patrol, East Patrol and North Patrol. The new Shoal Creek Patrol Division is the newest participant in the MCSP Public Service Program and held its first clean-up in Fall 2006.
In conjunction with the support of other city departments, all five KCPD patrol divisions operate every Saturday morning, barring unforseen weather conditions, supervising community clean-up projects that include highways, shopping centers, graffiti removal, dumpsites, etc. On some occassions, individual KCPD Patrol Divisions combine for large-scale clean-up projects in city parks and neighborhoods. In the past few years, MCSP has removed nearly 18,000 discarded tires and more than 1.9 million pounds of litter from city areas.
Successes of the Missouri MCSP Public Service Program brought the expansion and growth to other metropolitan areas. In July of 2000 the MCSP Public Service Program was expanded to the Unified Government of Kansas City, Kansas and in July of 2001 expanded to Independence, Missouri.
©1999 Kansas City Crime Commission. All rights reserved.