MUSEUM is OPEN
First Friday of each Month 9a - 4p
COVID Restricted Hours subject to change
The museum is secured. You may be given entrance by request at the front window inside the building if someone is available Monday thru Friday 9a-4p. This is not guaranteed as this is a Police Headquarters. Please plan for the first Fridays.
NO entrance on weekends at this time.
This cache is located at the Kansas City Kansas Police Department Museum. It is located on the bottom floor at 700 Minnesota Ave, Kansas City, KS 66101.
Some people may not know that Kansas City Kansas had one of the first Police Helicopter Units in the country. It was in operation from 1971-1979.
Although not a flying magazine, the Unit was such a big deal that it was featured in April 8, 1971 edition of nationally published JET magazine.
One person at the forefront of the Police Helicopter Unit was the first and only pilot, Owen Sully. He is also my father. He first learned to fly jets in the Navy and later went to Rotor School in the Army. In Viet Nam, he flew Cobras with 101st Airborne Division.
He was chosen to head up the Helicopter Unit and personally made the trip out California to fly the Hughes 300-C helicopter back to Kansas City.
He was officially put in charge and the unit was dedicated on March 9, 1971 with much fanfare.
Although the first helicopter was dubbed "Firefly One", my dad adopted the tongue-in-cheek name "Porkchopper" as his call sign. He used it as his civilian CB handle as well in the 70s & 80s. He continued using Porkchopper into modern days as an email and online forum name. Had he been a geocacher I am sure that is what he would have used.
Mayor J. McDowell promotes Sully to Lieutenant as the new LT's daughter looks on.
An anecdotal story to this photo below: The school district would not let my mother off of work to attend the promotion and dedication ceremony. She therefore created a lesson plan for a civic duty and government field trip. She attended with her entire class who then wrote reports on their experience.
--Anecdote #2 -- Technically I am in this photo also, however, I was born 6 months later. 😉
The helicopter was based at Fairfax Municiple Airport, although there is still a landing pad on top City Hall which was used from time to time.
Not only did the unit patrol the skies over Kansas City, they also helped other departments all over the metro area including Missouri. In addition to patrolling, my dad landed at and visited every public school in Kansas City, Kansas during class to promote community involvement.
My dad took his final flight in September of 2014. He served for 26 years on the Kansas City Kansas Police Department. He was elected Sheriff of Wyandotte County in 1988. He retired with 42 years of military service as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 with over 6,000 hours of accident free flying. He now rests at Leavenworth National Cemetery.
This cache is dedicated to my dad and all law enforcement who sacrifice their safety every day for the safety of the rest of us.
Logging the cache
Why so many questions?!
Two reasons: The limited access and number of questions combine in an effort to make this cache worthy of the rare Difficulty/Terrain rating.
I also do not appreciate excessive questions for typical virtual type caches. Please understand and maintain the integrity of this cache's D/T rating by indulging in the museum and the questions.
Earn it and you will be rewarded.
Although not all are covered on this page, the information gathered will give you a well-rounded visit and historical knowledge of the KCKPD. The answers are not hard to find but will take some time to collect. I hope it is appreciated.
Enter the museum and turn right. The questions will progress counter clockwise through the displays of the museum.
1. First is an easy multiple choice. Name 1 of the 5 local programs the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #4 has supported. 👮
2. The floor you are standing on has been restored, preserved and is original. What business occupied this building originally from 1937 to 1971? 🏛️
3. The current Kansas City, Kansas Police Department was founded in 1898. What is significant about the year 1910? 👮🏽♀️
4. In the badge and patch display case, what does the red patch with gold trim designate? 💥
5. The next display is dedicated to Boston Daniels. What happened to him on July 1, 1970? 👮🏿♂️
6. The original tail boom to the Police Helicopter has hung in our garage for over 40 years. It is now here in the museum. What are the Number/Letters on the tail boom of the Police Helicopter? 🚁
7. Depicted in the middle of the back wall, two different patrols were added in 1914. Name one. 🚨
8. Next is a uniform shirt displayed. Ruby Ellington was the first female black officer for KCK. How many years did she serve? 👮🏿♀️
The back of the museum is a special and honored memorial which may be emotional. No personal information of sacrifice will be used as trivia out of respect. Please do however, spend some time learning of the sacrifices made. Questions #9 and #10 are in the back room. If you wish to bypass this area, make note in your answers and continue to question # 11.
9. The KCKPD K-9 Unit has had several dogs. One of them, a Belgian Malinois, served both with KCKPD & Wyandotte County Sherriff's Office. While preparing for duty one morning, he unfortunately suffered a fatal heart attack. What is the name of this KCKPD canine officer? 🐕
10. There are several artifacts in this room that make an officer's duty and sacrifice very real. What is the numbered street that is on the street sign above the stop sign? 🛑
11. Returning to the main room, there is a display case of tools a police officer has used including nightsticks, handcuffs, and even brass knuckles. What is on the bottom shelf? 🗝️
12. In the center of the main room, there are uniforms. One display is a jacket only. What patrol does the top triangular patch on the left shoulder designate? 📢
13. The KCKPD was also on the forefront of fingerprint identification in the early 20th century. By 1918, the department had begun taking photographs and fingerprints of all the felons its officers had arrested. What famous mobster's fingerprints did the KCKPD acquire on May 7, 1929? ✋
14. In the last display case by the door along the glass wall are a couple of flashlights on the middle shelf. A silver and black one. What name is etched into the black one under the serial number? 🔦
Pictures are appreciated but an attempt at answering the questions is required to log this cache. Your log will be deleted without sending answers. Spoilers will also be removed.
Permission has been obtained from David Hartman, Curator, Wyandotte County Historical Museum, Unified Government Wyandotte County Kansas City Kansas
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.
