BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – Over the past few months, the cities of Lake Lotawana and Blue Springs have been exploring a cooperative police services agreement.
“As local leaders, we are charged with providing our residents with the highest quality, most efficient civic services possible,” said Lake Lotawana Mayor Scott Miles. “By partnering with the nationally accredited Blue Springs Police Department, we will improve police services for our residents in a cost-effective manner. We are excited about the possibilities and look forward to discussing this proposal with our community.”
Both cities will be presenting this proposal to their communities to provide resident input on the proposal before proceeding into formal agreements.
“We are honored that the Lake Lotawana community thinks highly of our police services and we look forward to continued conversations about this potential partnership,” said Blue Springs Police Chief Wayne McCoy. “Eastern Jackson County is known for its innovation and spirit of cooperation to create mutually-beneficial strategies that strengthen our communities and the region.”
If approved, the City of Lake Lotawana would contract with the City of Blue Springs for law enforcement services beginning in April 2017. These services would include comprehensive community policing, animal control, crime prevention, investigations and 911 and non-emergency communications support.
“We invite our residents to a special open house on Tuesday, January 17, 2017 from 5-7 p.m. at the Lake Lotawana City Hall to learn more about this proposal,” said Lake Lotawana City Administrator Leslee Rivarola. “Because this represents a new direction for our community, we want to make sure this cooperative agreement is a good fit for both Lake Lotawana and Blue Springs. This public forum will allow residents to learn about the proposal and for us to gather feedback before finalizing an agreement.”
If the cooperative agreement moves forward, the Blue Springs Police Department will receive funding from Lake Lotawana to increase staffing to provide law enforcement services to their community.
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