Here are the key takeaways from The Star’s investigation of racism in the KCPD
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Racism in the KCPD
A Star investigation found discrimination, racist abuse and unfair discipline in the KCPD. White cops are accused of using slurs and racially profiling Black members of the force.
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In Kansas City, the solidarity behind the thin blue line does not apply if you are Black, a yearlong investigation by The Star found.
The racism festering in the Kansas City Police Department does not spare even its own members, driving many Black officers to leave the force.
From the day they enter the police academy, Black recruits live with a target on their back as white instructors seek to fail them out on technicalities they give others a pass on. If they make it onto the force, Black officers say they join a department where white officers make derogatory comments or use racial slurs against them with impunity.
Before long, many find themselves singled out for unfair disciplinary action again and again until they are either forced out of the department or quit in disgust — a process commonly known inside KCPD as being “papered out.”
One former officer, Scott Wells, said being Black in KCPD was like “being a mouse in a snake cage.”
“You’re constantly watching your back 24/7,” he said.
During the newspaper’s investigation, 25 current and former Black officers of various ranks told their own stories of discrimination, racist abuse and a system that forces Black officers out of the department on flimsy pretexts while keeping the upper leadership mostly white. Their accounts are backed up by scores of department emails, internal police memos, legal documents, lawsuits and video.
For many officers, the question lingers: If this is how police treat their own, what chance does a regular Black citizen have?
In 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was investigating why the number of Black officers in the KCPD was lower than expected. But the agency never released any results and declined to comment on its findings.
Thirteen years later, The Star’s investigation shows one major reason for the lack of Black officers: rampant racism inside the department.
The newspaper’s investigation found:
The KCPD has fewer Black officers today than it did decades ago. Just 11.6% of officers are Black in a city that is 28% Black. In 1998, the department was 12.3% Black.
Police leaders have known since at least 2009 that discipline in the ranks is meted out unequally. An internal assessment never made public by KCPD showed Black officers made up 11% of the force but received 18% of the discipline, according to court records.
Over the past 15 years, at least 18 Black officers identified by The Star have left the department because of the racist treatment they endured.
White officers have called their Black colleagues a racial slur, made insulting comments about eating fried chicken and said Black people were lazy.
Only about 9% of homicide detectives, who hold a coveted position in the department, are Black. And the unit produces unequal results: Detectives send cases to Jackson County prosecutors for about 51% of victims who are Black men but 73% for white women.
The Star’s investigation was published Sunday in six parts. Read them all here:
Racism in the KCPD: There’s no thin blue line for Black officers, Star investigation finds
He was a detective with the KCPD. And he still got pulled over for driving while Black
Black KCPD officers saw discrimination in beard policy. They fought back — and won
Too few KCPD homicide detectives are Black. Families of victims say that must change
KCPD Chief Rick Smith knelt in honor of George Floyd. Then he said he didn’t mean it
While KCPD struggles, this city made its police force more diverse than its residents
Read some of the original documents:
In 2013 lawsuit, former deputy chief said KCPD unfairly disciplines Black officers
‘Derogatory and discriminatory comments’: Read the lawsuit filed by former KCPD officer
Black cops fought back against KCPD beard rule. Read the policies and lawsuits here
This story was originally published March 28, 2022 at 12:29 PM.
