KC police board has a chance for fresh ideas. Will Gov. Parson appoint new voices?

On March 7, the terms of two members of Kansas City’s Board of Police Commissioners will end.

The two — Nathan Garrett and Don Wagner — must be replaced as quickly as possible. By the end of this month, Gov. Mike Parson should name two new police board members who will make public safety their top priority.

We wish this wasn’t a concern. In every other major community in America, oversight of the police department rests in the hands of locally elected civilians, whose first duty is to their constituents.

In Kansas City, sadly, police supervision has been seized by Missouri lawmakers and the executive branch. That puts the Kansas City Police Department in the hands of the governor, who appoints four of the five members of the police board. (The fifth seat is held by the mayor.)

The board determines police policy, spending and disciplinary procedures. It hires and fires the chief. It is now involved in contract talks with the Fraternal Order of Police. Parson’s appointments will clearly be critical in determining how Kansas City’s police force operates this year.

“Our office is aware (that) in early March two of the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners board members’ terms expire,” Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones said in an email.

“At this time, we haven’t discussed any particular candidates, nor a timeline to discuss potential new appointments or reappointments,” she said.

That should change. Mayor Quinton Lucas should pick up the phone and remind the governor of his obligation. Community groups clamoring for the resignation or firing of Police Chief Rick Smith should make their voices heard too.

That’s because Garrett and Wagner can stay on the board of commissioners beyond the end of their terms if Parson fails to name replacements. Both men could help determine Kansas City Police Department policy for months after their terms have officially ended, a situation that should infuriate the people who live here.

Parson could also reappoint one or both men, which would also be unacceptable.

Garrett and Wagner were first appointed by disgraced former Gov. Eric Greitens. We had hoped both would demonstrate independence and real oversight of the police department during their almost four years of service.

Instead, they have become apologists for the department, more interested in protecting the police from the public than the other way around. The result is a department where excessive force complaints and large financial settlements are common.

In an emailed statement, Garrett said he had not discussed his continued service with the governor.

“I see firsthand the competence, investment and selfless commitment of my fellow commissioners during unenviable times and amidst harsh and undeserving criticism,” he said. “But we’re all experienced professionals and know that just comes with it.”

A board representative said in an email that Wagner “has indicated his willingness to keep serving until a replacement has been appointed.”

Kansas City should control its own police department. State control, through the governor, is colonialism at its worst, at a time when the people rightly demand accountability from the police force.

We’ve said Chief Smith should resign or be dismissed. Neither will happen with the current lineup of commissioners intact. To leave the board unchanged beyond the expired terms of two of its members would make a terrible situation worse.

Gov. Parson should turn his full attention to these appointments, quickly. The Board of Police Commissioners needs new voices, and a renewed commitment to the people of Kansas City.