AdHoc Group Against Crime leader joins in calls for KC police chief resignation
The AdHoc Group Against Crime has joined other local organizations in calling for the resignation of Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith and change in the department.
The announcement came in a letter from the group’s president, Damon Daniel, as protests continue in the Kansas City area against police brutality and in support of Black Lives Matter and police department reform.
Daniel said he decided to offer his comments about the police department’s leadership under Smith after the protests at the Country Club Plaza and the handling of recent officer-involved fatal shootings.
In particular, Daniel said, it was unnecessary for Kansas City officers to appear at the protests dressed in heavy riot gear and direct tear gas, pepper spray and military-style equipment toward demonstrators.
“I don’t think we have the right leadership in place,” Daniel said. “I have witnessed the intimidation, the use of force used on people who were exercising their constitutional rights.”
The Kansas City Police Department said in a statement that Smith is aware of the calls for his resignation.
“He understands that some people are pleased with his performance and some are not,” the department said. “He looks forward to leading us through these challenging times.”
For decades, AdHoc has worked closely with Kansas City police and other law enforcement to help the relatives of homicide victims or missing persons, as well as provide victim services. The group was launched in 1977 by Alvin Brooks, a former Kansas City police officer and member of Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners.
Daniel said he hoped that his comments would not hamper their relationship with the police department.
“With true partnerships and collaboration there has to be space for open and honest critique. In this current environment across this country, I felt compelled to speak up and say that maybe it’s time for new leadership,” Daniel said.
A coalition of civil rights groups previously called for Smith’s resignation, citing a lack of confidence in his handling of fatal police shootings of African American men and allegations of excessive use of force by the department. That group consisted of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, the NAACP’s Kansas City branch and the Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity, or MORE2.
Daniel said the coronavirus pandemic has not reduced homicides and other violence in Kansas City. It appears the number of killings in Kansas City will likely exceed record numbers, he said.
Kansas City is at 87 homicides so far this year, compared with 61 by this time last year, according to data kept by The Star.
“The black community does not have a good relationship with law enforcement and I can’t remember when we did have a good relationship with law enforcement,” he said. “We don’t have nearly enough homicides solved.”
Daniel also criticized Smith’s effective abandonment of the Kansas City No Violence Alliance, or KC NoVA, a strategy credited with reducing homicides. Last year, the city nearly hit an all-time record in homicides.
Daniel also asked police how many people of color are in leadership positions and if the number of officers of color graduating from the academy have increased. Data on the demographic breakdown of the department was not immediately available.
In the letter, Daniel said the organization supports seven policy reforms and practices that are also recommended by the NAACP, the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, MORE2 and Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forté:
- Transparent performance standards made public by the Board of Police Commissioners.
- Widespread use of body cameras.
- Review and revision of police use of deadly force policies.
- Comprehensive retraining of all police officers.
- Appointment of special prosecutors to investigate police misconduct.
- Mandatory uniform FBI reporting and audit of lethal force incidents involving law enforcement.
- State police misconduct registry to identify officers who are terminated for misconduct or abuse of power and prohibit transferring to other law enforcement agencies.
Police announced June 3 that the department had received funding for body cameras. The department previously said it supported body cameras because it would improve officer safety and accountability.
At a board meeting on June 16, Mayor Quinton Lucas said he planned to propose changes within the Office of Community Complaints, including that all sustained complaints be referred to prosecutors.
Forté previously said he planned to push for a statewide registry to identify officers who have been fired for misconduct or abuse of power and prohibit them from transferring to other agencies. In Kansas, the state publishes “integrity bulletins” that detail officer incidents, but don’t include the police department or the officers’ names.
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 5:31 PM.
