You might start seeing KC police cars keeping their blue lights on. Here’s why
By July 1, Kansas City’s police department may already be looked at in a different light: steady and blue.
On Thursday, the Kansas City City Council voted 12-0, with one abstention, to approve a resolution for 153 of the city’s 375 marked (as opposed to unmarked) police cruisers to patrol the city with their blue roof lights steadily on.
It’s something police in a number of cities, such as Baltimore, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Charlotte, North Carolina, already do. The resolution has been passed to the council after being approved Tuesday by the city’s Finance, Governance and Public Safety committee, lead by Councilwoman Andrea Bough.
Lace Cline, Kansas City’s director of public safety, on Tuesday told the council committee that steady blue lights not only help to help deter some crimes, but also “projects visibility, legitimacy and police readiness.”
“Not only does it deter crime,” she said, “it also allows residents to flag down an officer that they might not otherwise know is in the area.”
Flashing red and blue lights would still be used “for urgency.”
Before being implemented, the resolution needs to be passed by the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, of which Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is a member. Cline said the the Kansas City Police Department has already indicated that it is supportive.
Cline said that the city had two alternatives regarding the lights. Of the city’s 375 marked vehicles, 153 already have the software capability, with reprogramming, to shine steady and blue. The cost of changing the vehicles over, she said, was estimated at $14,000.
The other option would be to change over the entire fleet, including the 222 vehicles that cannot be easily changed. Pricetag: $750,000.
Cline recommended the $14,000 option. The committee agreed.
“Increased visibility improves community confidence. It deters unlawful activity, and it supports proactive public safety efforts, and it supports proactive public safety efforts,” Cline said. “For these reasons, I ask the committee to pass this resolution.”
So they did. The plan is to have the cars showing steady blue lights, all night and day, by July 1. An assessment would be produced over the next 90 days with a report to the City Council within 120 days.
This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 8:00 AM.
