KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -
Kansas City's chief of police recognized two of his officers Wednesday for their work in getting illegal guns out of the hands of criminals.
Chief Darryl Forté calls what Officers Bryan Britten and Mike Holsworth did with recovering illegal guns remarkable.
"(It was) a project they decided to do and took it upon themselves to carry this out a year plus," Forté said.
The officers' gun suppression program increased gun recovery and set up a model for other officers to follow. Forté said in the past, on average, officers would have confiscated maybe 10 guns in a year in their areas.
"They recovered 45-plus (guns) in the 330 sector and 18 in their area even before we deployed the hot spots initiative," Forté said.
Britten and Holsworth said they started the program after noticing nearly everyone they stopped had an illegal weapon, so they concentrated on certain suspects in their area, which was 35th to 45th streets from Prospect to Indiana avenues.
"We go out and find who the criminal element is and target that person," Britten said.
"The homicides, the robberies, all violent crimes are down about 18 to 25 percent," Holsworth said.
The chief presented them with the chief's coins, an honor reserved for very few. Forté said he's only given out one other.
"We don't give them out lightly. Congratulations," he said to the officers.
Forté said other officers are using their tactics. Police encourage residents to call in for tips of illegal guns and said the tips can remain anonymous.
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