Kansas City is getting a new police chief. If you got to hire them, what would you look for?
When embattled Police Chief Rick Smith leaves the Kansas City Police Department this spring, he’ll have to be replaced with a new top cop.
The new police chief will be chosen by the Board of Police Commissioners, whose members are mostly chosen by Missouri’s governor.
While the board will pick the new chief, your taxes will pay their salary. It’s a big job with major consequences, and our team at The Star wants to know what you’d look for when hiring the new chief.
When the board replaced Darryl Forté, who left the department in 2017, there was a months-long process to select a chief that included background checks, interviews with board members and a series of public meetings to receive input from Kansas Citians.
If you got to hire Kansas City’s next police chief, what would you look for? What would you want to know?
Let us know by using this form below. We may follow up and include your thoughts in a future story. If you have more questions, you can also email us at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published December 7, 2021 at 9:02 AM.
