Black female detectives ‘targeted’ in KCPD’s probe of child crimes unit, lawsuit says
Three former Kansas City detectives have sued the police department over allegations they were discriminated against during an internal investigation into the failures of the Crimes Against Children Unit.
In the lawsuit, the former detectives, who are Black women, say they were “scapegoated and targeted” in the fallout of an investigation into the unit’s failure to properly probe dozens of cases of rape and child molestation.
The women — Gleanice Brown, Latondra Moore and Tamara Solomon — argue the internal affairs investigation that began in 2015 was “demonstrably biased and unfair” against Black female detectives. Its findings and disciplinary recommendations were racially and sexually motivated, they said.
Police officials recommended Black female detectives in the unit receive harsh punishments, such as losing their detective status or termination, while their white, male counterparts were reinstated as detectives and could be promoted, according to the lawsuit.
“Most egregiously,” the women’s attorneys wrote, “KCPD’s supervisors were never suspended or recommended for termination,” even though the Kansas City Police Department determined the unit’s problems mostly stemmed from supervisor mismanagement.
Sgt. Jacob Becchina, a police spokesman, said the department generally does not comment on pending litigation to “ensure the fairest process for all sides.”
The 68-page lawsuit, filed Monday in the Western District of Missouri, claims Black female detectives were paid less than their white, male counterparts, and that they were burdened with higher caseloads in the “notoriously understaffed” unit.
In 2016, The Star reported that police memos identified nearly 150 cases in the unit that had been “severely mishandled,” in some cases showing “gross negligence” by detectives and possibly deceitful attempts to cover up omissions.
Investigators found that detectives in the Crimes Against Children Unit neglected to work on some cases for months and misplaced evidence in desks with no note to indicate what case it belonged to.
When the internal investigation began, officials suspended seven detectives and two supervisors — almost the entire unit. Police documents identified Brown, Moore and Solomon among the suspended detectives.
In 2019, more than a year after the investigation ended, Smith said 17 officers, including seven who were no longer with the department, faced discipline that ranged from disciplinary counseling to termination. He also announced reforms to prevent future failures and said the unit had been renamed the Juvenile Section.
Reports released by the department showed that 149 cases were severely mishandled over a period of several years.
In the lawsuit, Brown, Moore and Solomon allege the police department allowed Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker to use them as “scapegoats” in news coverage about the unit. They said they were unable to publicly discuss what they described as false allegations given to reporters by police and Baker because of a gag order, according to the petition.
Specifically, the women claim police officials “intentionally and strategically” leaked confidential and internal findings about the investigation to The Kansas City Star.
Among its other claims, the lawsuit alleges a sergeant kept a file for Black female detectives and was caught tampering with files related to the unit’s investigations; a captain was allowed to use “purged” information against the Black female detectives during the internal investigation; and a captain in internal affairs had a history of using racial expletives to address his Black ex-wife at work.
Named as a defendant in the lawsuit is also the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 99, the union that represented the detectives.
In 2018, the union’s president, Sgt. Brad Lemon, told Brown multiple times that the department recommended she be terminated and if she did not accept it, her retirement benefits would be jeopardized, according to the lawsuit.
The women also said the police union failed to provide them with legal representation or guidance during the internal investigation, even though it represented their white male colleagues.
The FOP had not been served with the lawsuit as of Tuesday afternoon. Had it been, though, the union would not comment because the petition will be pending litigation, a spokeswoman said.
Moore is the only of the women who is still listed as working as an officer for the department in the petition.
The complaint for damages seeks a trial on claims of racial discrimination, sex discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 4:10 PM.
