Excelsior Springs, Mo. (Dec. 11) — For the first time in at least 20 years, the Excelsior Springs Police Department held a mandatory, department-wide meeting led by Chief Gregory Dull.
The Dec. 11 meeting brought together employees who typically operate in separate offices and responsibilities within the department: patrol officers, dispatchers, records staff, investigators, and animal control, along with command staff. According to both department leadership and its public post about the meeting, the purpose was to set a clear direction for the next several years, with a focus on reducing crime, particularly property crime.
Lt. Ryan Dowdy said the meeting had been in the works for months and was intended to address a crime reduction plan for 2026 that Dull has been developing with input from across the department.
Setting a direction
Chief Dull said the department holds routine meetings, including with sergeants and patrol supervisors, but those settings do not allow the department to operate as one group.
As the department finalized its crime reduction and strategic planning, he said he wanted to bring everyone together so they could work toward the same goal and understand how the pieces fit.
Dull said employees had opportunities to provide input, ideas, and suggestions, and those were “collated and put into the plan.” The meeting, he said, was meant to share that collective work and set expectations moving forward.
“It was just a set vision for where we were going,” Dull said.
He said the department is now in a place where it can focus more intentionally on long-term direction, rather than spending all its energy trying to get fully staffed or acquire basic equipment.
For Lt. Dowdy, a large part of the meeting’s significance was who was in the room.
“I’ve been here 14 years. That’s never happened,” he said. Dowdy said he has also spoken with employees who have been with the department closer to 30 years, who told him they had not seen a gathering like it either.
The department has regular meetings, he said, but this was different. It was the first time, in his experience, that everyone, from the chief to staff members who rarely attend operational meetings, came together to hear the same message and work toward the same goals.
Dowdy said the meeting also created space for people to hear from one another, across roles.
“Everybody had a chance to talk,” he shared.
Goals tied to property crime
In the department’s post about the meeting, officials described an emphasis on reducing crime by 10%, “specifically property crime,” along with questions about what future community engagement should look like and how the department can support citywide efforts tied to socioeconomic issues.
Dull said Excelsior Springs is lower than state and national averages on violent crime, but property crime is higher, which is why property offenses are a priority. He said the department’s goals include reducing the overall crime rate by 10% and reducing property crimes by about 15%.
Dowdy said property crime is the main way residents are victimized locally, and that reality shaped much of the meeting’s conversation.
What changes could look like
Dowdy said the meeting did not stay at the level of general goals. He said Dull brought printouts and concrete examples of how enforcement could shift.
One topic, Dowdy said, was how the department handles repeat stealing offenses under state law. He said a third or subsequent stealing offense within a certain time period can be charged as a felony regardless of value. Historically, he said, low-value shoplifting was often handled through municipal tickets. Under the approach discussed, repeat offenders may be pursued more seriously through felony charges.
Dowdy also said the department intends to increase visibility downtown during warmer months, including using vehicles such as the department’s UTV. Under that model, he said, officers would be more present in the business district, interacting with residents and visitors as part of an effort on visibility.
Dowdy said he hopes the department continues holding meetings like this, and its purpose was more long-term planning with perspectives from all employees worked into goals made just for the Excelsior Springs community.
To read ESPD’s 2024 report to learn more about local property crime statistics and more, see here.
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