KC mayor to introduce measures on excessive police force, citizen complaints
Mayor Quinton Lucas plans to introduce measures Tuesday that he says will change the process for filing complaints against Kansas City police officers and strengthen whistleblower protections, among other things.
In a statement, Lucas said the several measures would “help increase accountability and build community trust.” He intends to offer them for debate and vote during the Board of Police Commissioners meeting Tuesday morning.
Among the measures is one that would direct the Kansas City Police Department to make it an officer’s duty to intervene when he or she sees a fellow officer using excessive force.
Another would compel police to transition the Office of Community Complaints, the current oversight agency, outside of the department to “a separate, independent entity.” Sustained claims against officers should also be referred to relevant county prosecutors, according to the resolution.
Amid recent protests over racism and police violence, several local groups have called for the dismantling and restructuring of the community complaints office, which answers to the police board.
The office sustained less than 2% of complaints in 2018. It lacks authority to investigate police shootings.
“The review process needs greater independence outside the board or department leadership,” Lucas said.
Another resolution would extend the time a person can file a complaint against an officer from 90 days to two years and remove the age requirement of 17 or older for those filing accusations against officers. It would also allow for third-party complaints.
“Credible claims where a victim-claimant may be unwilling initially to share their own pain, such as sexual harassment or sexual assault claims, will now see the light of day if a third party can speak,” Lucas said in the statement.
A final measure would require the reopening of the police board meetings to the public with social-distancing measures. Ahead of Tuesday’s 9:30 a.m. meeting, police said the meeting room would remain closed to the public because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The police commissioners also plan to discuss body-worn cameras and a policy draft relating to the First Amendment, among other things, during the meeting. Citizens can submit comments ahead of time to bopc@kcpd.org, police said.
In an email before the Tuesday meeting, Sheryl Ferguson, who has spoken at recent protests, told the board that by taking submitted comments, those who “really have concerns can be overlooked and ignored.”
Sgt. Jacob Becchina, a police spokesman, said board members read a summary of the public comments and questions sent by email for expediency during their meeting. Otherwise, it could take hours to read each comment.
Before the June meeting, for example, the board received 268 written comments, more than 50 of which were “demanding the ban on chokeholds, strangleholds and knee holds.” Dozens of others called for the firing of Police Chief Rick Smith and justice for Donnie Sanders, who was unarmed when an officer fatally shot him in March following a traffic stop.
Three comments thanked the department for its professionalism, according to the meeting’s minutes.
Becchina said all comments are posted on the department’s website and shared with the commissioners.
In comments submitted in July, some residents, including retired police officers, expressed their support for the current structure of the department, which is overseen by the board.
Kansas City is the only city in Missouri, and one of the largest cities in the U.S., that doesn’t have local control of its police force. Instead, the department is controlled by a five-member board appointed by the governor. As mayor, Lucas sits on the board.
Last week, Lucas asked for a hold on a measure that would have asked voters whether the city should prioritize lobbying the state legislature to acquire local control of the department. That means the question over local control will not be on the Nov. 3 ballot.
In a Twitter post Monday evening, Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forté said he has been working on a duty to intervene policy for several weeks.
“The policy will require deputies to intervene when they witness excessive force or any abuse of another person,” he wrote. “This policy is one of many reforms that will occur at the sheriff’s office.”
This story was originally published August 24, 2020 at 4:52 PM.
