‘It’s appalling:’ Activists react to TV show featuring Kansas City, Kansas, police
Community activists expressed frustration as they found out the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department is featured in a new TV show despite several controversies.
“It’s appalling that, rather than focusing energy and administrative attention on overhauling the system that allowed for sexual violence, wrongful incarceration and overall exploitation of a community, this leadership was contemplating its own celebrity and engaging in publicity stunts,” said Lora McDonald, executive director of MORE2, a local social justice organization. “The only national attention this department should be getting is a Department of Justice investigation and headlines over a Golubski indictment.”
The police department is featured on “Real PD: Kansas City,” a four-episode show that follows officers with the police department. The show premiered Tuesday on Investigation Discovery and will be available to stream on discovery+ the same day.
The show was filmed over the span of a year, with each episode following a different case the police department is trying to solve.
MORE2 is one of the organizations that has repeatedly called for an investigation into allegations of misconduct.
Tyrone Garner, the mayor-elect for Wyandotte County, has repeatedly said he supports a Department of Justice Investigation into the police department. Garner worked for the department for 32 years and retired as a deputy chief in June 2019. He was elected the new mayor of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas last week.
Former police detective Roger Golubski is accused of using his badge to exploit and rape vulnerable Black women. Federal prosecutors initiated a criminal grand jury investigation into Golubski in 2019.
Other controversies include one officer pleading guilty to assaulting a cadet and another officer filing a lawsuit claiming she faced discrimination and sexism.
“I hope that the show shows the true KCKPD and shows how they really interact with individuals of different backgrounds,” said Karla Juarez, executive director for Advocates for Immigrants Rights and Reconciliation. “We have families who do not and will not report crimes because of the lack of trust between the police and the community.”
Juarez, however, said she doesn’t think the show will include those interactions.
Each episode of the TV show follows a different case the police department worked over the course of a year. The shows will air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. CT, with the last show scheduled for Nov. 30.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 4:01 PM.
