Denied a job with Kansas City police for 14 years, man alleges discrimination
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- Petition seeks jury trial, damages and alleges discrimination, retaliation, defamation.
- Darius Moore sues KCPD, alleging racial discrimination blocked his hiring since 2011.
- Filing asserts false statements and retaliation by officers hindered Moore’s prospects.
Darius Moore has been trying to become a Kansas City police officer since 2011. He’s now suing the Police Department for racial discrimination after being repeatedly denied a job.
When he first applied to the department, Moore, who is Black, claims he was denied a job after telling the Police Department that he had witnessed a crime when he was 16, but did not participate in it.
The lawsuit claims that because he reported the incident he saw, he has been denied a job at the department.
The petition filed this week in Jackson County Circuit Court did not provide details about the incident he witnessed and Moore’s attorney, Eric Smith, did not return requests for comment.
Since his initial application, the department has repeatedly denied Moore’s attempts to join the force over the past 14 years, according to the lawsuit.
The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, as well as two unnamed Kansas City Police officers identified as John Doe and Jane Doe, are listed as defendants.
Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a police spokesperson, declined to comment on the allegations, citing that it is the general department policy to refrain from commenting on pending litigation to ensure fairness to all sides.
Moore, a 38-year-old Kansas City resident, has also applied for law enforcement jobs with other agencies, including the Dallas Police Department and the University of Kansas Hospital Police Department.
The lawsuit alleges that at least one unnamed Kansas City police officer made false or defamatory statements that interfered with Moore’s employment prospects at those departments.
“Plaintiff has repeatedly complained about KCPD’s and John and/or Jane Doe’s illegal, discriminatory conduct, including to the KCPD Chief of Police, and asked that the discriminatory and retaliatory behaviors against Plaintiff cease,” according to the lawsuit. “However, to date, these illegal actions are continuing against Plaintiff.”
According to the lawsuit, Moore filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in March, before applying again to the department in April.
Moore was told he was eligible for employment and would need to complete a written exam and a physical test. Before he could complete the testing process, however, he received a message from the department in June stating that he was “disqualified and precluded from employment in the future,” according to the lawsuit.
Moore appealed the decision in July, but no action was taken to reverse it. The lawsuit alleges the decision was based on Moore’s race.
“Less qualified, non-African American (non-Black) applicants to KCPD’s police force who did not report discrimination or violations of law have not been subjected to the same discriminatory and retaliatory actions as Plaintiff,” according to the filing.
“The KCPD engages in a broad-based pattern of discrimination and retaliation in the form of adverse employment decisions with respect to African American (Black) employees who are similarly situated to Plaintiff.”
The petition seeks a jury trial and damages exceeding $25,000 for each count, including claims of discrimination, retaliation, defamation, invasion of privacy and interference with contract or business expectancy.
The department has received criticism in prior years for its treatment of Black officers. A series of stories by The Star on those practices preceded a Department of Justice investigation that launched in 2022.
That investigation closed with no findings earlier this year, days before President Donald Trump took office, according to a police department spokesperson.
This story was originally published December 20, 2025 at 6:30 AM.
