KC increases downtown security resources, police patrols after shooting
Kansas City has increased security measures and police patrols downtown, almost a month after five people were shot, including two fatally, in a mass shooting in a downtown surface parking lot.
Copaken Brooks, a real estate firm that owns a surface lot at the corner of East 13th Street and Grand Boulevard on the edge of the Power and Light District, will be working with Kansas City police and the Downtown Council of Kansas City to make downtown safer, according to a statement from Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 24, Kane Taddese, 24, and John Alfaro, 18, were killed in the surface lot after a fight where Taddese is seen on video being punched and kicked.
In the same parking lot on July 11, two men allegedly fired into an apartment building from the lot after hearing gunshots nearby and observing a green laser on one man’s daughter.
These shootings led to Lucas calling for stricter parking lot security, days after a new ordinance was referred to the City Council’s Finance, Governance, and Public Safety Committee. The proposal would require stricter regulations for surface parking lots in the city’s entertainment districts, including the Central Business District, 18th & Vine, Country Club Plaza, Westport and the Crossroads.
“Kansas City is committed to ensuring that our downtown is a safe and welcoming place for everyone at all hours,” Lucas said in a follow-up press release Wednesday. “By strengthening police presence, adding new private security resources, and working alongside private partners like Copaken Brooks, we are taking meaningful action to ensure the safety of all. We’re also moving forward collaboratively on reasonable safety standards for surface parking lots and other businesses in our entertainment districts—basic requirements like trespassing signs allowing officers to act and other measures that will help create safer environments.
“Together, we will continue building a stronger, safer downtown that reflects the energy and growth happening across our city.”
“Copaken Brooks is proud to lead the ownership group in working with the City, KCPD, and Downtown Council to take back this critical section of downtown for businesses, residents, and visitors,” Copaken Brooks Principal Jon Copaken said in the statement. “There is so much positive momentum in our downtown, and we are committed to taking strong action to ensure that safety and security are a cornerstone of its continued success.” The real estate firm has recently enforced enhanced security measures, the statement said, by having increased security patrols, adding new barriers to secure the lot, and upgrading its security system. The company also provided additional lighting throughout its lot and expanded their mobile surveillance.
In response to the shooting, Copaken Brooks is also planning to install controlled parking gates to enclose the lot in October. Additionally, Kansas City police have boosted downtown foot patrols, and are adding more patrols throughout downtown.
“The patrols represent a visible and active commitment to reclaiming this section of downtown for businesses, visitors, and residents,” Lucas said in the statement.
Lucas also notes that the city’s Multidisciplinary Public Safety Task Force actively conducted site visits and deployed new cameras to collaborate with businesses.
The city is also entering a $100,000 contract to support additional funding for private security downtown. A significant portion of downtown property budgets are already allocated to security, Lucas said.
This story was originally published September 17, 2025 at 1:55 PM.
