KCK police try to get around needed city ID program with weaker version of their own

The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department has launched a strange new effort to provide municipal identification cards to residents who lack a driver’s license or other ID.

The department began the program about a week ago, and announced it on Facebook Wednesday. The Community Policing Unit said it will issue free photo ID cards to residents who have problems renting a home, or face other roadblocks, because they don’t have identification.

“Many of our unhoused residents have no form of identification,” said KCKPD spokeswoman Nancy Chartrand. “That creates a huge barrier for them obtaining basic services they desperately need. Our officers see these folks every day.”

We’ve said the lack of a photo ID is a real problem that deserves a real solution. But this is no substitute for the Safe and Welcoming Wyandotte ordinance now gathering dust on Mayor David Alvey’s desk.

The first flaw seems obvious: The police will issue the card. The release says applicants will “provide personal information” and “their photo (will be) taken” by police. Officers then check the information against state records, and if all is in order, the new photo ID is issued.

It’s a pretty safe bet that many who now lack an ID will be reluctant to voluntarily engage with the police to solve their problem. Young people and legal migrants will understandably be nervous about giving this information directly to people who can put you in jail.

Chartrand said the program isn’t intended to help undocumented residents. “The KCPD can only issue ID cards to individuals who are eligible for state ID cards and whose identities can be verified,” she said in an email.

A political motive behind delaying Safe and Welcoming vote?

Supporters of Safe and Welcoming Wyandotte, on the other hand, say their municipal ID proposal is aimed in part at the county’s substantial migrant population. That’s why their plan also prohibits local police from performing immigration enforcement duties that rightfully belong to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Potential applicants must have some assurance that the ID is safe, or no one will get it.

Chartrand said the department gets a “handful” of inquiries about the program each day.

UG Mayor and CEO David Alvey has refused to allow a Unified Government Board of Commissioners vote on Safe and Welcoming; his November opponent, Ty Garner, supports the measure and wants a vote. It’s a key difference between the two.

That’s why the timing of the police department initiative is suspicious. A proposal to issue municipal IDs in KCK has languished for years, despite similar programs in other cities. Why this, now? Is the new ID program designed to preempt an important campaign issue, protecting Alvey from criticism?

It smacks of interference in the election.

“This effort does seem to be politically motivated to take the wind out of the sails of the Safe and Welcoming effort,” said Rick Behrens, who has pushed the broader proposal.

Chartrand said the program “has the approval” of City Hall. She said it doesn’t interfere with Safe and Welcoming Wyandotte: “This is a situation where more than one program is needed,” she said.

That’s precisely the point, of course. Work on the Safe and Welcoming ordinance must continue, which the Unified Government should consider and pass. What the police are doing cannot be considered the end of the discussion.

Dozens of people have worked for years to finalize the Safe and Welcoming ID proposal. We think it’s the best way to bring thousands of current residents out of the shadows to become full participants in Wyandotte County’s economy.

At the very least, Safe and Welcoming deserves a real debate, and a vote. Any last-minute attempt to circumvent that vote is counterproductive, and should be rejected by Wyandotte County voters.

This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 5:00 AM.