New Kansas City police chief won’t be named soon, but early contenders are emerging
Kansas City may be a long way from selecting its next police chief, but several potential candidates with strong ties to the community offer an array of diverse backgrounds and law enforcement experiences.
Many of them are seeking to raise their public profiles by popping up at various public meetings, neighborhood park cleanups and food giveaways.
But it could take up to a year before the Board of Police Commissioners decides if one of them — or someone else, possibly from outside Kansas City — will be chosen to replace interim Chief Joseph Mabin, whom the board appointed following the retirement of Rick Smith. Mabin has said he will not apply for the permanent job.
Police commissioners have begun the process to hire a search firm that will help guide them through a national search for the next chief. More details could emerge during the police board’s monthly meeting Tuesday.
Mark Tolbert, president of the board, acknowledged that he and fellow commissioners are under intense scrutiny and said they did not want to rush the selection process to ensure they make the right choice on who will lead the 1,700-employee department.
“My hope is that the city will put in as much input as possible so that we get a police chief that really believes in serving and protecting the entire community,” he said.
The names that have emerged so far as potential local candidates include:
▪ Deputy Chief Doug Niemeier, who leads the department’s executive services bureau;
▪ Randy Hopkins, a former KCPD deputy chief who currently is chief of public security for Rockhurst University;
▪ Maj. Dan Haley, a commander for the department’s research and development division;
▪ Maj. Kari D. Thompson, a former department spokeswoman who now is East Patrol Division commander;
▪ Floyd Mitchell, a former KCPD major who is chief in Lubbock, Texas.
None of the potential candidates would confirm with The Star that they plan to seek the permanent job. It is unknown what candidates the board could add from a nationwide search.
However, many of the possible local candidates have attended a variety of community events, including a series of recent listening sessions that were sponsored by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and other civic, community and business organizations.
Those gatherings were aimed at getting public feedback on what qualities residents want in their next chief. The findings are scheduled to be released at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday during the monthly police board meeting at the downtown Kansas City Police Department headquarters.
During those sessions, residents stressed the importance for the next police chief to promote transparency, accountability and aggressively address the gun violence that has plagued the city.
“The goal should be to hire the best qualified candidate who is committed to forming strong and productive relationships with all segments of the community, especially with those who have been critical of the previous police chief,” said Karl Zobrist, who served on the police board from 2000 to 2010.
“The successful candidate should have a 100-day plan to begin this process, with specific goals and milestones, as well as a long-term plan to sustain and expand this effort.”
Whoever is selected to be permanent chief will inherit a police force that faces a number of controversies that include budget concerns, a shrinking workforce and eroded community trust.
Smith became the city’s 45th police chief nearly five years ago when the police board chose him over Keith Humphrey, who at the time was the police chief in Norman, Oklahoma.
Humphrey later became police chief in Little Rock, Arkansas, and similar to Smith, had a tumultuous tenure as chief. Humphrey recently announced that he is retiring from the police department on May 20.
Under Smith’s leadership the police force was wrought by controversies for its handling of excessive use of force, the killing of Black men by police and the city’s soaring homicide rate.
Several civil rights groups demanded Smith’s removal and later petitioned the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an investigation of the department’s patterns and practices.
Calls for Smith to step down were renewed Nov. 20 when Det. Eric DeValkenaere was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Cameron Lamb.
Four days later, The Star reported that Smith was being forced out of his position as police chief. A memo addressed to Smith from Tolbert, the police board president, and Mayor Quinton Lucas said that Smith’s last day would be April 22.
A yearlong investigation by The Star, published in March, showed that Black officers face rampant racism and discrimination in the department. Many Black officers say they are singled out for unfair disciplinary action and either forced out of the department or quit in frustration.
Some community leaders in Kansas City say the next police chief needs to be someone who knows and understands the culture inside the department and is willing to implement change.
“To me, if you apply and don’t have the characteristics presented — you lack integrity and by applying you instantly show an inability to respect the wishes of the people you are sworn to protect and serve,” said Darron Edwards, lead pastor for United Believers Community Church.
Potential candidates’ backgrounds
At the time of his appointment, Smith was commander of the Central Patrol Division and was the choice of the police union. But after three years on the job, Smith was described as rigid and resistant to reform taking place across the country.
Board members may seek to take a different approach in their hire, said Stacey Daniels-Young, who served on the police board from 1995 to 2005, including a term as board president.
“They (board members) need to be prepared for something very different and the unfamiliarity might not be attractive,’‘ Daniels-Young said. “A challenge will be getting someone who can lead, and us willing to do all that while healing within the department.”
All of the potential candidates getting attention now have extensive backgrounds in law enforcement and community engagement, according to prior news reports and their individual LinkedIn accounts.
Each declined to comment to The Star about their intentions to apply for the position.
Before being named deputy chief, Doug Niemeier was the commander of the East Patrol Division, head of the Violent Crimes Division and has served as the police department’s liaison to the City Council. Niemeier is known for his work as a homicide investigator and unit supervisor.
For the past six years, Randy Hopkins has overseen the public safety unit at Rockhurst University. Prior to that, Hopkins had worked 30 years as a Kansas City police officer, rising through the ranks to become deputy chief, where he led the investigations bureau. He retired from the department in July 2015 when he joined Rockhurst.
Dan Haley, a former division commander, has been with the department for nearly 28 years and has an extensive academic background, which includes a law degree. He had previously served as the police department’s diversity officer.
Kari Thompson was promoted to major in May 2021 and before that she was commander of the department’s Homeland Security Unit. As a police sergeant, Thompson was a supervisor in the KCPD media unit.
Since 2019, Floyd Mitchell has served as chief for the Lubbock Police Department in Texas. Prior to that Mitchell led the police department in Temple, Texas, for more than four years. During his 25 years with KCPD, Mitchell was a patrol division commander and served as commander over the homicide unit and a tactical response unit before that.
Picking a new chief
The last time Kansas City sought a new police chief, 42 internal and external candidates applied for the job. Ten of those failed to qualify by state statute.
The board whittled the 32 remaining to 10. One dropped out, and the board spent 15 hours interviewing the remaining nine. That number was then reduced to three finalists that included Smith.
For the process of seeking a new police chief, the police board will work out the timeline once the executive search firm has been selected.
Responses to the board’s request for proposals from search firms are due by June 3, and one will be chosen by June 27, board attorney David Kenner said in an email to The Star.
The months-long process to select a new chief generally includes extensive background checks, screenings, interviews with board members and a series of public meetings to receive further input from residents.
Alvin Brooks, who is a former KCPD officer, city council member and police board president, said commissioners should take their time in selecting the next chief.
“The challenge will be finding someone who is a 21st Century cop, meaning that they come with experiences, having knowledge of an urban police department and the challenges that an urban police department has,” Brooks said.
Many community leaders and elected officials have said the next police chief should come from outside the department.
That almost happened five years ago when several police commissioners including then-Mayor Sly James wanted to hire Ulysha Renee Hall, a Black former deputy chief from Detroit. But Hall dropped out of the Kansas City job when she was named the Dallas police chief.
But finding someone who is willing to relocate their family to Kansas City may be challenging because the annual salary of the police chief is set by Missouri law at no more than $189,700.
“I don’t know what we would be able to offer that a city like Dallas or Chicago that are similar that might be more appealing with a higher salary would be willing to offer,” said Lisa Pelofsky, a former board president who served from 2010-2014.
“We can all say we want a lot of things but there’s only a limited amount of incentives that you can provide to that individual. That’s a big issue.”
