New Legal Battle Could Shift Control Over Kansas City Police Department

New Lawsuit Proposes Distinct Control Over Kansas City Police Department

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

Local control over the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) may soon undergo a potentially transformative shift if a newly lodged lawsuit gains legal traction. Three determined women from Kansas City have embarked on a legal battle, with their formidable opponents including Missouri Governor Mike Parson, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of State. The Kansas City Missouri Board of Police Commissioners, inclusive of Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, are also implicated in the lawsuit.

Overview of the Lawsuit’s Claims

The lawsuit challenges the current configuration of the control structure governing the KCPD. At present, a Board of Police Commissioners controls the KCPD. However, the Governor appoints the individuals making up this board. The arrangements for state control over the Kansas City and St. Louis police departments have been in place since 1861. Moreover, the lawsuit deems such control as unconstitutional, whilst casting a spotlight on the departments’ deeply-entrenched discriminative history against Black residents of Kansas City.

Erosion of Equal Protection Laws

Substantiating claims of the lawsuit, the existing state oversight allegedly denies Kansas City’s residents the protection of equal laws. It asserts that residents do not hold the power to choose the commissioners for the Police Board, and emphasizes the resultant discriminatory policing based on the police’s own data, as a direct consequence of the state’s control over the KCPD.

The Plaintiffs Push for Local Control

The plaintiffs hope to institute local control over KCPD, thereby eliminating the state’s role. The trio behind the lawsuit, namely Dr. Barbara Johnson, Dr. Nicole Price, and Narene Crosby, whose son Ryan Stokes tragically fell victim to a police-related incident. Crosby declared her unyielding determination to pursue the legal battle, emphasizing that she would not let the state or any other body “sweep my son Ryan’s Death Under the Rug.” Both Johnson and Price expressed their belief in the potential benefits of local control over the KCPD, imagining a system which more closely reflects the needs of the community.

Awaiting Comments and Action

Following contact attempts, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft issued a statement upholding the state’s intervention in situations where cities prioritize criminals over law-abiding citizens. The Fraternal Order of Police in Kansas City, Missouri, has affirmed its contentment with the current status of the police board, whilst Mayor Quinton Lucas wholeheartedly welcomed any move that would dismantle the state’s control over policing in Kansas City. The KCPD has remained silent on the matter, citing a general practice of non-commentary on ongoing litigation to maintain fairness.

The lawsuit has been formally lodged in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri Western Division. It could set the stage for a significant transformation in the local control and governance over law enforcement in Kansas City, given its emphasis on the potential benefits of local control.