KC Scout Shout!

Each year MoDOT's Kansas City district hosts a district-wide showcase for its annual Innovations Challenge. The Innovations Challenge is a MoDOT event that recognizes new ideas that help the department improve safety, simplify work, save time, and save money. This year, KC Scout submitted one innovation that took home Second Place in the district's People's Choice category. Their innovation replaces paper forms with digital versions. This innovation replaced the paper form of KC Scout's Daily Vehicle Inspection Form. This form is completed on their mobile phones daily and tracks the condition of KC Scout vehicles, along with various safety and work related items that should be in them. According to Special Projects Coordinator Nancy Powell, utility locators like using the digital form as it eliminates having to keep paper forms in vehicles and makes the daily reporting much easier According to the team (Mohammad Shehada, Dominique Gonzalez, York Morlan, Christopher B

  Emergency Responder Carlos Campos’ assistance continues to go above and beyond; so much so that he was awarded the People Saving People award from the Missouri Law Enforcement Traffic Safety Advisory Council (LETSAC) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).  Campos recently responded to call for a stalled vehicle. When he arrived, the driver was out of the vehicle, and Campos stopped him from walking into traffic and from getting back behind the wheel.   Campos said he realized the driver had hit something and was also impaired. Campos told the TMC dispatcher to inform the Kansas City Police about the collision and possible DUI suspect.   Meanwhile, the driver got out of the car. Campos said he focused on keeping the individual out of traffic until the police arrived.   “The driver did display several signs of impairment, and the driver was arrested for DUI,” Police Officer Jordan Infranca wrote in an email to MoDOT. “I a

Sometimes you're just in the right place at the right time. This is especially true for KC Scout Utility Locator, Chris Butler. On Wednesday, Nov. 30, Butler had just finished up with a utility locate at the 12th Street exit along southbound Interstate 35. He was packing up his cones and getting back into his vehicle and upon doing so, he noticed a car coming down an exit ramp in the wrong direction to southbound I-35, heading into oncoming traffic.  "I jumped out of my vehicle and motioned for him to stop," explained Butler. Butler says the man stopped and informed him that he was following his GPS trying to get to the River Market. "I explained he was going the wrong way and then I had him turn around on the 12th Street ramp and then turn to Broadway," says Butler. According to Butler, the man thanked him for stopping him and was able to safely turn around and be on his way. This type of vigilance is what makes KC Scout so vital to the community. No matter you

In late October, KHP's Motorist Assist Operators and MoDOT's Emergency Response Operators met for a bi-state Traffic Incident Management training at MoDOT's Emergency Response building in downtown Kansas City.  These types of training help responders learn to tackle various incidents on KC metro roadways both safely and efficiently. The attendees covered a variety of tasks including responder safety, safe and quick clearance procedures, and interoperable communications. Additionally, they discussed best traffic incident management practices, innovations such as JAWS, and general sharing of ideas.   According to KC Scout's Incident Coordinator,  Marcus Slaughter, this bi-state training was the first of its kind but they plan to make it an annual event. "We are hoping to have these trainings two to three times a year," explains Slaughter.   These types of trainings are important for a number of reasons, specifically for teamwork and peer exchange. Accordin