Police department in Kansas City, Kansas, among worst for transparency, study says
The police department in Kansas City, Kansas, ranked among the worst in a national survey on police transparency.
KCKPD scored 18 points out of a possible 100 on the Police Data Transparency Index, published this week by the Vera Institute.
The study included 94 police departments across the country and looked at the data they release on police shootings, arrests, training and other information.
“With little access to information about what police do, the public has trouble evaluating and rethinking policing,” the authors of the index wrote.
The department in Kansas City, Kansas, had the seventh-worst score among the agencies that were ranked. The Kansas City, Missouri police department was given 39 points, one point above the national median score.
The report scored each department based on how easy data was to access and understand. KCKPD scored highest in the “police contact info” category. It also got points for policies, crime reports, traffic stops, use of force and complaints. But it scored zero points on instances officers shot firearms, arrests, calls for service and training.
Last year, there were three fatal police shootings in Kansas City, Kansas, including a former police detective who was killed in November.
Police officials in KCK did not respond immediately to a request for comment sent Wednesday.
This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 1:35 PM.
