Ottawa police outline community-policing strategy, crisis response and technology investments

OTTAWA, Kan. — Police Chief Brian Weingartner told the Ottawa City Commission on Oct. 9 that the city's community-policing program now centers on partnerships, problem-solving and a crisis co-responder model designed to reduce residents' fear and keep officers available for patrol.

"Our goal would be for a department to be fearless of crime in the community," Weingartner said, summarizing the department's mission to protect public safety while building trust. He said the department aligns locally with the Department of Justice's community-policing concepts of community partnership, organizational transformation and problem solving.

Weingartner highlighted three areas of emphasis. First, partnerships: the department works regularly with local health providers and nonprofits to provide crisis care and victim advocacy, and coordinates special-event reviews with businesses to keep officers visible at local gatherings. He said the department's crisis co-responder model includes staff from the Elizabeth Layton Center and emergency-room support from AdventHealth Ottawa so officers do not need to remain in custody with people in crisis for extended periods.

Second, technology and targeted enforcement: Weingartner described a Walmart-funded grant enabling installation of license-plate-reader cameras around the local Walmart to target shoplifting. "We recently acquired a grant through Walmart'...to install license plate reading technology in and around the Walmart area, specifically focused on catching people responsible for stealing from Walmart," he said. He gave a recent example in which LPR evidence helped link a multistate crew to repeated retail thefts that produced what he called a "six-figure" loss for regional stores.

Third, training and accountability: the chief said the department maintains CALEA accreditation and follows Kansas training requirements, noting that state law requires 40 hours of in-service training and limits firearms training hours. He also outlined internal controls on property and evidence handling, and described a recent outside review that prompted documentation and procedural revisions.

Weingartner discussed the unit's resources and costs, saying that fully equipped patrol vehicles'including in-car video and body cameras'can push the cost of a vehicle to about $125,000. He also said the department supports more than 30 community events annually and uses weekly POSA (problem-oriented service activity) meetings to coordinate city departments on nuisance and crime-pattern responses; he cited a recent uptick in overnight reports on the city's east side that prompted focused overnight patrols.

Commissioners thanked Weingartner and named community-policing staff Josh Schwab and Megan Thomas for their work. Weingartner also named Captain Hawkins and accreditation manager Stacy Allen as department points of contact for training and policy matters. He noted advocacy partnerships with the Willow Domestic Violence Center and a sexual-assault advocacy center whose name is redacted in the transcript; the transcript did not specify that center's public name.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes (item 8): Motion to approve minutes from the prior meeting; motion moved and seconded, voice vote recorded with affirmative response and chair declared the motion carried (mover/second not specified in the record).

What happens next

Weingartner said the department will continue refining documentation and policy after a recent accreditation review and will return to the commission as needed for budget and staffing requests. The commission received the presentation and did not take additional formal action during the meeting.