Business Owners

ECKERMAN IN FOR LAURA. WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE TONIGHT. WE BEGIN AT BETTY RAYS IN THE RIVER MARKET, WHERE KMBC NINE S KRISTA TATCHELL SPOKE WITH THE OWNER ABOUT HIS FRUSTRATION AT THE LACK OF POLICE PRESENCE AND BROKE THE WINDOW. CAME IN, WENT BEHIND THE COUNTER, WALKED DOWN TO THE BACK OF OUR KITCHEN AREA AND HE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A SAFE DOWN WHERE WE HAD IT. ITS NEVER NORMAL TO WAKE UP AND KNOW THAT SOMEBODY HAS BROKEN INTO YOUR SHOP. THIS ROCK THROWN THROUGH A DOOR SUNDAY MORNING AND BETTY RAYS ICE CREAM STAFF SCOOPS UP THE PIECES YET AGAIN. YOU TAKE IT PERSONALLY. BETTY RAYS IN THE RIVER MARKET HAS BEEN UNKINDLY HIT TWICE. WITHIN THREE WEEKS, THE CROOK GOT THE SAFE WITH THREE GRAND IN IT. THIS IS WHAT I NEEDED. OWNER MATT SHATTO SAYS CUSTOMER FOOT TRAFFIC IS GREAT, BUT HE SAYS HE WANTS MORE BADGES BY BUILDINGS. I NEED MORE PATROL IN THE RIVER MARKET AREA. SHATTO SAYS MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS IS BACK TO BUSINESS PLAN, WHICH GIVES FINANCIAL AID TO BUSINESS OWNERS. HIT BY CRIME IS A BAND-AID, NOT A SOLUTION. SO ITS BACK TO BUSINESS TODAY WITH UNCERTAINTY FOR TOMORROW. THE FRUSTRATING PART IS NOT KNOWING WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS. SHATTO SAYS HE HOPES TO HAVE A ONE ON ONE SIT DOWN MEETING WITH MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS IN THE COMING WEEKS TO DISCUSS HOW TO PREVENT CRIME IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. KRISTA TATCHELL, KMBC NINE NEWS. NO ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE, BUT MAYOR LUCAS ISSUED A STATEMENT ABOUT THE BREAK-IN, CALLING SMALL BUSINESS THE HEARTBEAT OF OUR CITY. HE SAYS HELL BE WORKING WITH THE STATE APPOINTED POLICE BOARD TO FIND WAYS T