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Kansas City Police Department (Missouri) | |
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Common name | Kansas City Police Department |
Abbreviation | KCPD |
Motto | To Serve and Protect |
Agency overview | |
Formed | April 15, 1874 |
Preceding agency |
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Employees | 2,020 (2021) |
Annual budget | $249 million (2021) [1] |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | Kansas City, Missouri, Missouri, US |
Map of Kansas City Police Department (Missouri)'s jurisdiction | |
Legal jurisdiction | City of Kansas City, Missouri |
Governing body | Governor of Missouri |
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | 1125 Locust Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106 |
Police Officers | 1,098 (2023) |
Corrections personnel and Civilian members | 500 Corrections (2023) |
Police Commissioners responsible |
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Agency executives |
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Stations | 6
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Facilities | |
Detention Centers | 1 |
Website | |
Kansas City Police Department official website |
The Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) is the principal law enforcement agency serving Kansas City, Missouri. Jackson County 16th Circuit Court Circuit Court Judge Jen Phillips swore in Stacey Graves as the 46th chief of police of the KCPD on December 15, 2022. [2] Graves, who served as head of the KCPD's Deputy Chief of the Patrol Bureau, [3] became the city's 46th police chief on December 15, 2022. [4]
The Kansas City Police Department was founded in 1874. George Caleb Bingham was the first president of the Board of Police Commissioners. The first Chief was Thomas M. Speers. From its inception the department was under the control of the Commissioners, appointed by the Missouri governor. In 1932 the police department came under local control for the first time during the Pendergast era. After significant corruption the Board was reinstated and around half of employees fired. [5] [6] Following the St. Louis police return to home rule in 2013, Kansas City is the only major city in the country without local control of the police department. [7]
The Kansas City preventive patrol experiment was a landmark experiment carried out between 1972 and 1973 by the Kansas City Police Department. It was evaluated by the Police Foundation. It was designed to test the assumption that the presence (or potential presence) of police officers in marked cars reduced the likelihood of a crime being committed. It was the first study to demonstrate that research into the effectiveness of different policing styles could be carried out responsibly and safely.
KCPD is the largest city police agency in Missouri, based on number of employees, city population, and geographic area served.
The first black police chief of the KCPD is Darryl Forté who led the KCPD from 2011 to 2017. during his tenure, he sought to rectify racial problems within the department. [8]
From 2017 to 2022, the KCPD was led by Rick Smith, whose tenure was controversial. [9] [8] In 2019, when a white officer shot a black man, Smith was heard in a video recording on the scene of the shooting describing the victim as a "bad guy". [9] The white officer was later convicted to six years of prison for involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. [9]
A 2022 investigation by the Kansas City Star found that there was rampant racism inside the KCPD. Current and former KCPD officers alleged that there was systematic racism and discrimination within the department which forced black officers out of the department. [8]
In 2022, the department had fewer black officers than it did decades ago. [8]
In 2013, Ryan Stokes was fatally shot in the back during a foot chase in the Power and Light District after it was reported that he stole a mobile phone. [10] The officer that fired his weapon was initially awarded a certificate of commendation that was later revoked after it was discovered that some accounts of the incident were inaccurate. [11] A federal court ruled the officer is entitled to qualified immunity from a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the victim's family, as it was judged that the officer concluded he was in imminent danger despite Stokes being unarmed. [12] In 2020, Stokes' family appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the Court refused to hear the case, and upheld the verdict imposed by the previous court. [13] [14] Justice Sonia Sotomayor objected to the decision not to hear the case, writing in her dissent opinion that the case “tells a disturbing story” and "the public is told ‘that palpably unreasonable conduct will go unpunished’ and surviving family members like Stokes’ daughter are told that their losses are not worthy of remedy.” [15]
Cameron Lamb was fatally shot by an officer while reversing his truck into a backyard garage following helicopter reports of a traffic disturbance in 2019. The officer involved was charged with involuntary manslaughter. [16] [17]
A viral video in 2020 circulated on Twitter showing KCPD officers assaulting nonviolent protesters, bringing national attention to the department. [18]
Two officers were indicted in 2020 for felony assault committed during an arrest for trespassing that was recorded in a widely shared video. [19] [20] The videographer was ticketed and convicted of failure to obey a lawful order after being told to stop recording; he was later pardoned by the mayor. [21]
During the 2020 George Floyd protests, KCPD fired chemical agents, such as pepper spray, at protesters. [22] In wake of these crowd control measures, civil rights groups have called for the resignation of Chief Smith, who defended the officers' actions. [23] [24] An activist who was arrested after stepping off the sidewalk is suing the officers who used pepper spray on him and his daughter for excessive force. [25] An officer involved was later charged with misdemeanor assault for spraying pepper spray in the teen's face. [26] Over 150 protesters were arrested during the summer's events and all non-violent charges were dropped by city council ordinance. [27] [28]
On April 13, 2023, 16-year old Ralph Yarl was shot while mistakenly approaching the home of Andrew D. Lester. Yarl went to the residence thinking it was the correct house to pickup his siblings. The accused shooter, Lester, was detained and released by KCPD hours later, while Yarl was hospitalized. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas extended his sympathies to Yarl and his family as did Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves. Yarl's family retained civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump shortly after the shooting, who stated that there was "no excuse" for the release of the suspect and demanded swift action. [29] [30]
On April 17, 2023, 85-year old Andrew Lester was arrested for the shooting. He is charged with armed criminal action and first-degree assault, which is the equivalent of attempted murder in Missouri. [31] The Clay County district attorney stated that there was a "racial component" to the shooting. [32]
Formation | 1943 |
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Type | Civilian Oversight Board |
Purpose | To oversee the Kansas City Police Department and set department policy and goals |
Headquarters | 1125 Locust St. Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
Region served | Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
President-Commissioner | Nathan Garrett |
Website | Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners |
The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners is responsible for the operation of the KCPD. The Board sets policy, makes promotions, holds both closed and open meetings and coordinates with the Chief of Police in providing police services to the citizens. Four of the five members of the board are selected by the governor of the state of Missouri, following approval of the Missouri legislature, with the mayor serving as the fifth member. Commissioners serve four year terms, however they serve at the pleasure of the governor and can be replaced.
The Rank Structure of the Kansas City Missouri Police Department is as follows:
Title | Insignia |
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Chief of Police | |
Deputy Chief | |
Major | |
Captain | |
Sergeant | |
Police Officer | |
Probationary Police Officer |
The main sidearm used by the KCMO PD is the Glock 22 or Glock 23 both in .40 S&W. Officers also had the choice of choosing the Smith & Wesson Sigma but that is no longer chosen by officers as was the S&W 4026 (Smith & Wesson Model 4006) .40 S&W which had the KCMO PD Badge and KCPD engraved on the slide. [33]
KCPD currently owns and operates three MD 500 helicopters, purchased in 2012. [34] There is a heliport and maintenance facility on Manchester Trafficway, near the Truman Sports Complex. The helicopter unit began in 1967 with three Schweizer S300 rotocraft.
In 2016 a helicopter made an emergency landing on a northeast Kansas City street after experiencing a mechanical problem. [35]
The Tactical Response Teams of KCPD was featured in A&E's reality series Kansas City SWAT. [36]
The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department has been portrayed in numerous episodes of the television show COPS.
The Homicide Unit of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department was portrayed in the A&E Network's documentary series entitled The First 48 .
The United States Park Police (USPP) is the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agency in the United States. It functions as a full-service law enforcement agency with responsibilities and jurisdiction in those National Park Service areas primarily located in the Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and New York City areas and certain other government lands. United States Park Police officers have jurisdictional authority in the surrounding metropolitan areas of the three cities it primarily operates in, meaning they possess both state and federal authority. In addition to performing the normal crime prevention, investigation, and apprehension functions of an urban police force, the Park Police are responsible for policing many of the famous monuments in the United States.
The Columbus Division of Police (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of Columbus, Ohio, in the United States. It is the largest police department in Ohio, and among the twenty-five largest in the United States. It is composed of twenty precincts and numerous other investigative and support units. Chief Elaine Bryant assumed leadership of the Division in 2021. Special units of the Columbus Division of Police include a Helicopter Unit, Canine Unit, Mounted Unit, Community Response Teams, Marine Park Unit, and Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT).
The Kansas City Fraternal Order of Police (KCFOP), originally the Kansas City Police Officer's Association, is a police union established in 1999 to represent the sergeants, police officers, and detectives of the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD).
The Metropolitan Police Department – City of St. Louis is the primary law enforcement agency for the U.S. city of St. Louis.
The 1968 Kansas City riot occurred in Kansas City, Missouri, in April 1968. Kansas City became one of 37 cities in the United States to be the subject of rioting after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The rioting in Kansas City did not erupt on April 4, like other cities of the United States affected directly by the assassination, but rather on April 9 after local events within the city.
The Rochester Police Department, also known as the RPD, is the principal law enforcement agency of the City of Rochester, New York, reporting to the city mayor. It currently has approximately 852 officers and support staff, a budget of approximately $90 million, and covers an area of 37 square miles (96 km2). The Rochester Police Department has been under a court-ordered federal consent decree from the United States Department of Justice since 1975 over its hiring practices. The decree was part of a 1975 settlement involving racial discrimination.
Leon Mercer Jordan was an African-American civil rights leader who served in the Missouri House of Representatives. Jordan was "one of the most influential African Americans in Kansas City's history" and, at the time of his assassination in 1970, the "state's most powerful black politician".
On November 15, 2015, two police officers fatally shot Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old African-American man, in Minneapolis. The two shooters were Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze. They were a part of the Minneapolis Police Department which subsequently placed the men on paid administrative leave. The night after Ringgenberg and Schwarze shot him, Clark died at the Hennepin County Medical Center after being taken off life support. His death resulted from one of the gunshot wounds the shooters inflicted on November 15.
The shooting of Anthony Hill, a U.S. Air Force veteran, occurred on March 9, 2015, in Chamblee, Georgia, near Atlanta. Hill, fatally shot by police officer Robert Olsen, suffered from mental illness and was naked and unarmed at the time of the incident. The incident was covered in local and national press and sparked the involvement of Black Lives Matter and other advocacy groups who demonstrated their anger at the shooting. In January 2016, a grand jury indicted officer Olsen on two counts of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault. Nearing the fourth anniversary of the homicide, it was decided that Olsen's trial would be rescheduled for September 23, 2019, with delays including three successive judges having recused themselves in the case.
On August 5, 2016, Jamarion Rashad Robinson, a 26-year-old African American man who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was shot 59 times and killed in a police raid in East Point, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. The shooting occurred when at least 14 officers of a Southeast Regional Fugitive Taskforce from at least seven different agencies, led by U.S. Marshals, forcibly entered the apartment of Robinson's girlfriend to serve a warrant for his arrest. The officers were heavily armed, including with submachine guns. The warrant was being served on behalf of the Gwinnett County police and the Atlanta Police Department, and authorities said they had sought his arrest for attempted arson and aggravated assault of a police officer. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) stated that Robinson had been repeatedly ordered to put down a weapon and that officers who had been involved in the shooting reported Robinson fired at them three times.
This is a list of George Floyd protests in Arizona, United States. Protests occurred in at least nineteen communities in the state, with protests continuing for five weeks in Phoenix.
This is a list of George Floyd protests in the U.S. state of Missouri.
This is a list of George Floyd protests in North Carolina, United States.
Local protests in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area quickly spread nationwide in more than 2,000 cities and towns, as well as over 60 countries internationally in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. In Minneapolis, destruction of property began on May 26, 2020, with the protests involving vandalism and arson. Demonstrations in many other cities also descended into riots and widespread looting. There was police brutality against protesters and journalists. Property damage estimates resulting from arson, vandalism and looting ranged from $1 to $2 billion, eclipsing the highest inflation adjusted totals for the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Operation Legend or Operation LeGend was a federal law enforcement operation in the United States initiated by the administration of President Donald Trump. The operation was named after four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 29, 2020. According to the White House, Operation Legend was implemented after President Trump began deploying federal law enforcement agents to fight violent crime in the wake of the George Floyd protests. For Operation Legend, agents from various federal agencies were deployed to aid and assist city and county law enforcement officers.
The Breonna Taylor protests were a series of police brutality protests surrounding the killing of Breonna Taylor. Taylor was a 26-year-old African-American woman who was fatally shot by plainclothes officers of the Louisville Metro Police Department on March 13, 2020. Police were initially given "no-knock" search warrant, but orders were changed to "knock and announce" before the raid. Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who was inside the apartment with her during the raid, said he thought the officers were intruders. He fired one shot, hitting officer Mattingly in the leg, and the officers fired 32 shots in return, killing Taylor.
On May 27, 2022, Leonna Hale, a 26-year old black woman, was shot five times by the Kansas City Police Department at a Family Dollar parking lot, in response to a suspected carjacking. She told officers she was pregnant before being shot.
The Kansas City Defender is a news outlet primarily by and for African-American youth, especially in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the Midwestern United States more generally. They won the 2022 Community Engagement Award from Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers for "engaging Black youth both in digital spaces, and real-life community events. Their stories on racism in schools sparked national coverage and conversations. Among other things, they work to understand the differences between the different audiences on different social media platforms and how to tailor their content to maximize the engagement of those different audiences.
The shooting of Ralph Yarl was on April 13, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri. The 16-year-old African American teenager was shot twice after ringing the doorbell at the wrong house while dispatched to pick up his twin brothers.