Frustrated Mayor Lucas says KCPD board didn’t discuss new DOJ discrimination investigation
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said he was frustrated when, at a Monday morning police board meeting, officials didn’t discuss a newly announced federal investigation into alleged racial discrimination within the Kansas City Police Department.
Earlier in the day, Lucas tweeted that he canceled other travel arrangements to attend the meeting following the announcement of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into alleged racism in the police force.
“One other area, I think, of frustration for me, the Board of Police Commissioners actually did meet this morning,” Lucas said after the meeting. “We did not talk about this topic, although we were in a closed session opportunity, which candidly allow you to talk about a number of things.”
The police board met in closed session on Monday to discuss personnel issues. No board action was taken, according to Sgt. Jacob Becchina, police department spokesman.
News of the investigation comes months after The Star published a series of stories on allegations of racism and harassment within the force, which found the department employed its lowest number of Black officers in decades, that Black officers were disproportionately disciplined by KCPD and at least 18 officers had left because of racist treatment over a 15-year period.
In a letter obtained by The Star, Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division, said the investigation is based on information that suggests KCPD might be “engaged in certain employment practices that discriminate against Black officers and applicants, including those that have a disparate impact based on race, in entry level hiring, promotions and assignments to Detective, in imposing discipline, and by maintaining a hostile work environment.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said the agency would not comment on the investigation, which will be conducted by the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
No matter the outcome of the investigation, Lucas said, the city should take steps to diversify the police department and ensure fair treatment of Black and Latino officers and women, in their day-to-day work as well as when they speak out about injustices they’ve experienced.
Lucas said leadership must be more accountable to the community and should be the ones launching investigations, rather than responding to them.
“We cannot just be responsive time and time again to new lawsuits, to new investigations from federal officials, to voices outside,” Lucas said. “This department, and its board, need to be the ones that are launching these types of investigations to make sure we are doing right by our community.”
The board that governs Kansas City’s police department is made up of four members appointed by the governor, with a fifth seat held by the mayor.
Police Chief Joseph Mabin said in a statement that said the department was notified Monday morning about the federal investigation and was cooperating.
“It is the policy and practice of the Board of Police Commissioners and the Kansas City Missouri Police Department to provide a work atmosphere free of actual or perceived discrimination and harassment,” Mabin said. “I am committed to ensuring every member experiences a safe and fair work environment and every applicant receives fair treatment throughout the hiring process.”
Problems in the Kansas City Police Department
The Star’s investigation, published in March, found that just 11.6% of officers are Black in a city that is 28% Black. In 1998, the department was 12.3% Black.
One story in the series told of Herb Robinson, a Black detective who believes he was racially profiled by two of his colleagues. The stop was caught on video, in which his colleagues can be heard calling him a “dumbass” and a “retard.”
“I might have been taken down to the ground. I might have been shot,” Robinson, who is now a sergeant and has since sued KCPD, told The Star. “I might have reached in my car to get my ID to prove (that he was a police officer) and been shot.”
Another story told of Titus Golden, a Black officer who fought against a policy that he believed showed clear racial discrimination. The policy required officers to be shaved during the pandemic so their masks fit. Black cops who said they needed to keep a beard for medical purposes were disciplined, while white officers flouted the policy and wore beards, Golden said.
“It reminded me of the double standard that this department has between Black and white (officers),” he told The Star. “They were wearing their beards proudly, like there was nothing wrong. I instantly got very frustrated.”
After learning of the investigation, Golden on Monday said “it’s a blessing to see this.”
“If only they would listen when officers are getting treated differently, it wouldn’t have to be like this,” Golden said. “If us Black officers are getting treated bad I can only imagine how the community (is) being treated.”
This story was originally published September 19, 2022 at 2:15 PM.
