‘Shocked, saddened and disgusted’: Ex-police board commissioners react to racism in KCPD
Four former Kansas City police commissioners issued a statement Saturday saying they were “shocked, saddened and disgusted” to learn how Black officers in the police department are treated.
Last Sunday, The Star published a yearlong investigation on discrimination and abuse within the Kansas City Police Department. Black officers were called racist slurs including the N-word and disciplined more harshly than their white peers, leading to a department that has fewer Black officers today than it did decades ago.
The police department is controlled by the Board of Police Commissioners, a five-member panel where four members are appointed by the governor and the fifth seat is held by the mayor.
Former commissioners Alvin Brooks, Lisa Pelofsky, Stacey Daniels-Young and Karl Zobrist said as board members they were expected to hold members of the police department accountable.
“We had a responsibility to regularly review police policies and procedures and continually endeavor to keep the Kansas City Police Department on the cutting edge of law enforcement practices while being responsive to the needs of our community,” the four wrote in the statement.
“The culture must change but it cannot change without brave leadership. This is the time.”
Police Chief Rick Smith will step down as leader of the department April 22. A search for a new chief is underway.
The former commissioners said they were concerned about about how Black recruits and officers were treated and about several cases of excessive force that have led to millions of dollars in lawsuits.
Last month, the department awarded a Black Kansas City teenager $325,000 after the then 17-year-old was punched more than 10 times and tased. It was the third payout to a Black teen this year; those settlements combined have cost more than $1.3 million.
The latest settlement involved Officer Blayne Newton, who was named in two other high profile use of force cases, including the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man in 2020.
Excessive force and wrongful arrest claims have cost more than $10.8 million since 2014.
“We are aware that the overwhelming majority of our police are also deeply concerned over these bad actors that bring disfavor on them all and jeopardize their safety and the safety of the community,” the statement from Brooks, Pelofsky, Daniels-Young and Zobrist said.
The department has also paid out nearly $90,000 in settlements to Black officers who sued over the department’s so-called beard policy, which was issued to ensure masks fit properly during the pandemic. The policy allowed no exception, even with a doctor’s note, for those who suffer from a skin condition that mostly affects Black men and makes shaving painful and harmful.
A Black officer also said the policy was not enforced fairly. While he was placed on limited duty for not shaving, other white officers were allowed to have full beards, he said.
On Wednesday, local civil rights leaders renewed calls for a Justice Department investigation into the police department.
During that news conference, Gwen Grant, CEO and president of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, said the current board’s silence on reports of racism within the police department was “deafening” and “heartbreaking.”
The Board of Police Commissioners has not responded to a request for comment sent Saturday.
This story was originally published April 2, 2022 at 1:55 PM.
