Kansas City police say they’re ready to respond to any Election Day unrest
Kansas City police said on Monday that every uniformed officer will be available on Election Day to respond to any civil unrest, attempts at voter intimidation or anything that would threaten voters from safely casting their ballots.
“We want the citizens of Kansas City to know that we have plans in place should anything arise out of the ordinary that would require any kind of police intervention or police presence or police enforcement,” said police spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina.
“We are confident in our city’s ability to safely get to and from the polling locations, to respect each other while they are at polling locations.”
The department will not have officers staffed at the dozens of polling locations across the city, however, officers will be immediately available if summoned by election officials or citizens at voting locations.
Becchina said the police department is not aware of any local businesses that have plans to board their windows in anticipation of any public demonstrations after the election results are announced. However, at least one business on the Country Club Plaza was boarding up Monday as a precaution.
There were no immediate plans to block traffic or access to retail or entertainment districts such as Zona Rosa and the Country Club Plaza if protesting or demonstrations arise.
Several retail businesses in New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles said they planned to board up windows at some locations, as well as hire extra security for Tuesday’s general election.
“Tomorrow is a day that is going to require a lot of patience for everyone,” Becchina said. “We are confident that our city will get through it and we will shine. And we will do so in a safe manner.”
“If something arises that threatens that we will be ready to response at any time, anywhere in our city,” he said.
If needed, Becchina said the police department is ready to implement its “critical-incident” management plan to respond to any potential civil unrest. The department has learned from events earlier this summer how officers should better respond to protesters, Becchina said.
Thousands of protesters converged on the Plaza starting in late May to rail against systemic racism, police brutality and the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white police officer in Minneapolis pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
During the protests, viral photos and videos showed police pepper spraying, tear gassing and arresting peaceful protesters in Kansas City. Several days into the protests, police gave demonstrators more space and stopped using tear gas.
Following the demonstrations, the police department worked to develop a “First Amendment policy,” and re-evaluated how they respond to large-scale demonstrations and public gatherings. Police said they now use de-escalation efforts to resolve tension.
The department also reviewed its use of tear gas and other projectiles on protesters.
“Just the sheer number of voters that have been out already and are anticipated to be out, knowing that number of people will be doing one single thing, on one single day,” Becchina said. “It just bears reviewing that, having everyone on the same page. “
This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 12:48 PM.