They’re secret files. And Kansas City police didn’t want you to know what’s in them.But for the first time, the Board of Police Commissioners agreed to release 50 of the hundreds of complaints filed with its Office of Community Complaints each year against officers by people like you.And The Kansas City Star’s analysis of law enforcement records and those randomly selected complaints — ranging from rudeness to excessive force — reveals a broken complaint process that instills little public confidence:•Filing a complaint is often futile.Of the 50 examined, the board’s Office of Community Complaints resolved only nine last year. Indeed, the office’s own annual reports show that over the past five years just one of every 10 complaints is resolved at all.•When police investigate the police, citizens usually lose.Of the 50 complaints examined, the Office of Community Complaints upheld only two in favor of citizens. And of the 262 complaints worked by the Kansas City Police Department’s Internal Affairs unit last year, the department found in favor of citizens only 17 times.Over the last five years, just 4 percent of complaints referred to Internal Affairs were sustained against officers — a percentage law enforcement experts said is extremely low compared to other police departments locally and nationally. They say 10 percent is more typical.•A secretive system lacks accountability.The Office of Community Complaints’ annual report does not reveal what disciplinary actions, if any, were taken against officers. But in response to questions from The Star, the Police Department reported that it disciplined 21 officers on its 1,420-member force last year in response to citizen complaints.Of those, it fired one: for jamming a nightstick into the mouth of a handcuffed man.One notable statistic is that African-Americans, who make up about 30 percent of Kansas City’s population, are far more likely to complain about how they’re treated by police.More than 62 percent of the people filing last year with the Office of Community Complaints — created in 1969 in the aftermath of deadly race riots — were black. Of the officers complained about, 85 percent were white.The police board’s release of only 50 files is too few to draw scientifically reliable conclusions. But the disposition of the 262 complaints worked by the Office of Community Complaints and the Internal Affairs Unit generally supports The Star’s findings.Pearl Fain, who has directed the Office of Community Complaints for 12 years as a civilian on the police payroll, defended her office and said, “I think this system works.”But Fain added that, unfortunately, too many citizens fail to understand police procedures or just how difficult it is to find independent witnesses to corroborate a complaint.The number of sustained cases against officers would actually be closer to 10 percent if so many citizens didn’t drop their complaints, Fain argued. “I think that’s the only fair way to look at it,” she said.To be sure, the 500 or so complaints filed each year against Kansas City police represent only a fraction of the half-million routine encounters on the streets between citizens and officers as they go about enforcing the law.Part of the difficulty in determining whether the Kansas City Police Department has an excessive force problem, however, is the continuing secrecy surrounding the complaint files. The police board only released 50 files in a spirit of compromise after The Star threatened legal action under Missouri’s Sunshine Law.

Posted on Sat, Oct. 25, 2008 11:16 PM

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The Secret Files: A look at complaints made to KC police

By MICHAEL MANSUR

The Kansas City Star

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They’re secret files. And Kansas City police didn’t want you to know what’s in them.

But for the first time, the Board of Police Commissioners agreed to release 50 of the hundreds of complaints filed with its Office of Community Complaints each year against officers by people like you.

And The Kansas City Star’s analysis of law enforcement records and those randomly selected complaints — ranging from rudeness to excessive force — reveals a broken complaint process that instills little public confidence:

•Filing a complaint is often futile.

Of the 50 examined, the board’s Office of Community Complaints resolved only nine last year. Indeed, the office’s own annual reports show that over the past five years just one of every 10 complaints is resolved at all.

•When police investigate the police, citizens usually lose.

Of the 50 complaints examined, the Office of Community Complaints upheld only two in favor of citizens. And of the 262 complaints worked by the Kansas City Police Department’s Internal Affairs unit last year, the department found in favor of citizens only 17 times.

Over the last five years, just 4 percent of complaints referred to Internal Affairs were sustained against officers — a percentage law enforcement experts said is extremely low compared to other police departments locally and nationally. They say 10 percent is more typical.

•A secretive system lacks accountability.

The Office of Community Complaints’ annual report does not reveal what disciplinary actions, if any, were taken against officers. But in response to questions from The Star, the Police Department reported that it disciplined 21 officers on its 1,420-member force last year in response to citizen complaints.

Of those, it fired one: for jamming a nightstick into the mouth of a handcuffed man.

One notable statistic is that African-Americans, who make up about 30 percent of Kansas City’s population, are far more likely to complain about how they’re treated by police.

More than 62 percent of the people filing last year with the Office of Community Complaints — created in 1969 in the aftermath of deadly race riots — were black. Of the officers complained about, 85 percent were white.

The police board’s release of only 50 files is too few to draw scientifically reliable conclusions. But the disposition of the 262 complaints worked by the Office of Community Complaints and the Internal Affairs Unit generally supports The Star’s findings.

Pearl Fain, who has directed the Office of Community Complaints for 12 years as a civilian on the police payroll, defended her office and said, “I think this system works.”

But Fain added that, unfortunately, too many citizens fail to understand police procedures or just how difficult it is to find independent witnesses to corroborate a complaint.

The number of sustained cases against officers would actually be closer to 10 percent if so many citizens didn’t drop their complaints, Fain argued. “I think that’s the only fair way to look at it,” she said.

To be sure, the 500 or so complaints filed each year against Kansas City police represent only a fraction of the half-million routine encounters on the streets between citizens and officers as they go about enforcing the law.

Part of the difficulty in determining whether the Kansas City Police Department has an excessive force problem, however, is the continuing secrecy surrounding the complaint files. The police board only released 50 files in a spirit of compromise after The Star threatened legal action under Missouri’s Sunshine Law.

To reach Michael Mansur, call 816-234-4433 or send e-mail to mmansur@kcstar.com.

Posted on Sat, Oct. 25, 2008 11:16 PM

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