South of the Missouri River in Kansas City, violent and major property crimes occur so often that a resident will be victimized, on average, once a decade.
Just across the state line into suburban Leawood, however, that threat nearly disappears. Reg Cordry and his family have lived in different parts of Leawood for more than a quarter-century and have never been burglarized, never been vandalized, never been the victim of any crime.
This blanket of security helped propel Leawood to second place overall in The Kansas City Star’s analysis of suburban quality of life.
Certainly, Leawood has plenty to offer as a place to live. The Star compared local suburbs in nearly two dozen statistical measures, and Leawood finished in the top 10 in all types of school performance, in neighborhood stability and charm, and in recreational amenities such as outdoor concerts, seniors programs and golf courses.
But it’s the Johnson County city’s safety that stands out.
The state line corridor on the Missouri side is not exactly a criminal hotbed, but Leawood’s rate of violent and property crimes is one-fifth of Kansas City’s side over to Wornall Road, from 75th Street to Interstate 435.
Even in suburbia, Leawood’s lack of lawlessness is eye-popping. Of four local suburbs that have borders with Kansas City stretching 10 miles or more, Leawood’s rate of property crimes is half what it is in Grandview, Raytown or Gladstone.
So when Cordry, a real estate appraiser who lives south of 103rd Street, goes walking at night along dark patches of streets without streetlights, he’s not worried. And occasionally when he goes away for the weekend and accidentally leaves a door unlocked, he’s not concerned.
"Crime is something I never really think about, period," he says. "It’s a comforting feeling."
Why is Leawood so safe?
A big part of it is that Leawood simply does more police patrolling than other cities do.
Tough traffic cops
It’s a Wednesday morning and Leawood’s Municipal Court is in session. The docket is filled with hundreds of cases. But nearly all involve the same thing - a motorist being stopped by Leawood’s patrol officers.
First up, a speeding ticket. Then someone with an expired license tag. Then a failure to show insurance. Then another speeder. And on and on, for a couple of hours. Many of the cases are filled with tales of shock and frustration.
Martin Tenorio was crossing the state line along 151st Street on his way to work in Overland Park when he was caught going 49 mph where the limit is 35. "I know usually there’s a police officer there every other day, but I was in a hurry," he says.
Durrel Harper was trying to find his way west from Grandview to the Incred-A-Bowl bowling complex out south one night, but he got lost, so he sped up to 50 mph on Mission Road to make up time. "I’d never driven Mission Road before. I didn’t know there’d be a cop there," he says.
Indeed, Leawood’s police have a long-standing reputation for stopping cars coming through town. It even dates back decades to when Police Chief Sid Mitchell was growing up in south Kansas City and attending Center High School.
"I was scared to death to come across the state line because you’d get stopped for going a mile over the speed limit," Mitchell says. And all these years later, he insists one thing hasn’t changed: "We’re tough on traffic."
To be sure, Leawood can concentrate on traffic because the city has several inherent advantages in fighting murders, assaults, robberies, burglaries and other major criminal activity. It’s a narrow city with only a handful of major east-west through streets, so it’s easier to patrol. Its residents are relatively affluent, so lots of homes have alarm systems. And the neighborhoods are well-maintained, so there are hardly ever any abandoned homes to attract criminal activity.
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