Former KC police chief McNamara dies
Former Kansas City Police Chief Joseph McNamara has died at age 79, according to a report Friday at sanjoseinside.com
McNamara was chief of police in Kansas City from 1973-76, succeeding Clarence Kelley. One of his first acts was to attend the funeral of a 15-year-old black youth who was shot by an officer answering a break-in call. He then put in place a stricter policy on the use of firearms by officers.
After he left Kansas City, McNamara became police chief in San Jose, Calif. He served there until 1991 when he became a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.
The website said McNamara was 79 and died in his sleep at his home in Monterey, Calif.
| Matt Campbell, mcampbell@kcstar.com
This story was originally published September 19, 2014 at 10:34 PM with the headline "Former KC police chief McNamara dies."