This holiday season, Jackson County is cracking down on Country Club Plaza shoplifters

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker is partnering with Country Club Plaza retailers in hopes of curbing shoplifting and cutting down on shoppers bringing weapons into stores.

Baker says she will create a more “expedient and direct path” to her office, slightly changing the model of police leading investigations. Plaza security officers will send video surveillance of possible thefts to the prosecutor’s office, and if it has sufficient evidence, it will forward the case to the Kansas City Police Department for further investigation.

Baker says she received Police Chief Stacey Graves' consent for the effort, which Baker described as a way to save police staff time while focusing on charging more cases. She doesn’t charge juvenile cases, she says, but is cooperating with the family and municipal courts on cases that may appear there.

“We just want to provide a service that says, ‘Hey, if you think the Plaza is an easy target, you might think again,’” Baker says.