Kansas City police board approves new policies for body cams, response to protests

The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners on Tuesday approved separate policies on how officers should respond to organized public demonstrations and on guidelines for body-worn cameras.

Both policies had been under consideration by the police board from previous meetings and discussions. In doing so, police department staff reviewed policies from other departments and met with community leaders before implementing their recommendations.

The “First Amendment-Protected Activities” policy was created in response to protests last summer at the Country Club Plaza, Kansas City Police Department headquarters and other locations. Protesters criticized Kansas City officers for their use of tear gas and other methods to disperse crowds after officers reported that objects were thrown at them.

Mayor Quinton Lucas said police department staff had worked on the new policy for the past 10 months.

“There has been strong work done here. I think we have an exceptional policy,” he said. “This is a much stronger policy and reflects public comment, interaction with our lawyers and others. This is a positive change for the department.”

The policy “explicitly prohibits officers from using less-lethal weapons and munitions, other than chemical agents, to disperse crowds in the event of an unlawful assembly.”

In addition, officers are required to allow “law-abiding individuals to continue to exercise their First Amendment protected rights, and will focus efforts on those individuals in the active assembly who violate the law.”

Officers are instructed to create a buffer zone between police and protesters. Officers are not allowed to intentionally escalate tensions between themselves and protesters, according to the policy.

In September 2020, KCPD said patrol officers would be outfitted with body-worn cameras starting earlier this year and that officers would undergo training.

Kansas City police began equipping hundreds of its officers with body-worn cameras earlier this year.

For years, community leaders have called for a body camera program as a way to hold the city’s police officers accountable.

In June, the DeBruce Foundation awarded the Kansas City police a $1 million donation. Another $1.5 million was given to the police department from other community partners to fund a body camera effort.

Kansas City worked with community members, and local and federal prosecutors to help develop its program and policies on how video footage would be stored and used in investigations and when cameras are activated.

Under the “Internally Recorded Digital Media Records Policy” approved Tuesday, officers are required to activate their body-worn cameras during every contact with the public.

The body-worn cameras are compatible with the in-car camera system.

Non-evidentiary video will be retained for 180 days, according to the policy.

Acting Deputy Chief Gary Dull told commissioners that minor wording changes and edits were made from the policy that had been previously presented.

Also on Tuesday, the police board approved the purchase of additional body cameras.

This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 5:15 PM.