KCPD defends approach to Plaza protest policing, recognizes need for change
Kansas City police and law enforcement leaders discussed the use of force by officers at protests the weekend of May 29 and reforms moving forward at Tuesday’s Board of Police Commissioners meeting.
At the request of Mayor Quinton Lucas, Kansas City police Chief Rick Smith explained the use of pepper spray, tear gas and “less lethal munitions” at protests.
Outside the meeting, about a dozen people demanded to be let in. Organizers called for the “full abolishment” of the department, as well as the resignation of Police Chief Rick Smith.
The meeting was closed to the public but streamed on the city’s YouTube page. None of the 268 public comments submitted were read or discussed.
Use of force
Smith said that during the first weekend of demonstrations calling for an end to police brutality officers “very much wanted a peaceful demonstration” but were responding to the situation and the protesters.
Friday, Smith said, officers only used OC spray, also known as pepper spray.
Saturday, Smith said, was the most “dicey” night of the weekend. Officers used pepper spray for the first time when items were thrown at officers.
The event, Smith said, that “really turned things” occurred when two people entered the crowd with body armor and AR rifles. He said, this incited the crowd and objects were thrown at the officers and the people with rifles.
“This is when we start declaring an unlawful assembly,” Smith said.
As the crowd began to move into the Plaza, officers deployed smoke followed by tear gas.
Tear gas, Smith said, was used at various points throughout the night. Once to deter a group of people at Truman and Locust that he said police were concerned would get on the freeway and cause a car accident.
It was used again at the Plaza, he said, as damage to buildings and police cars continued. The most gas was used, he said, in an effort to clear protesters so fire crews could get to a squad car that was in flames.
“We used gas to disperse the crowd,” Smith said. “When we feel the crowd is getting so riled up that we can’t contain it and people are getting hurt.”
Commissioner Mark Tolbert said he was at some protests and felt that de-escalation should have come sooner from officers.
“There were some moments where I felt our troops could have used some restraint and understanding the frustration going through the crowd,” Tolbert said. “It almost looked like both sides were already antagonized and it was who’s gonna blow first.”
Lucas echoed those concerns and said he worried the Black Lives Matters demonstrators got a reception that other groups wouldn’t have.
He questioned the department’s use of force against a crowd when “only a few instigators” caused problems.
New Policies
Smith said he believed officers were responding directly to what they heard from protesters who he said indicated a desire to loot and were antagonistic to police. Smith said he is hoping to develop a new policy for handling of “First Amendment demonstrations.”
Over the course of the last two weeks, Smith said, the department has learned pointing towards deescalation strategies taken as early as the Monday June 1. He said that current policy is outdated.
“We had history and it wasn’t peaceful, people were destroying property and people were assaulting officers,” Smith said. “That is a different stance than we want to go to the park and hold up signs and have people cheer and honk ... I think that’s where we need to formulate our policy around and how we’ll articulate what those dynamics are and our response to those dynamics.”
The board also decided Tuesday that a system should be put in place to allow officers to issue whistle-blower complaints through the Office of Community Complaints.
“I want to ensure that every police officer knows they have an opportunity to have an outlet,” Tolbert said.
He said officers cannot simply report up the chain of command because sometimes that is where the issue lies.
The full policy, board members said, will be approved at July’s meeting.
Also next month Lucas said he planned to bring a proposal for changes to community complaints including expanding the limit for when changes can be made, removing the age restriction, removing the ban on third party complaints and referring all sustained complaints to prosecutors.
This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 5:31 PM.
