Blind Kansas Citians at Alphapointe feel threat from nearby police detention center

Hundreds of visually impaired Kansas Citians face daily risks because of poor police practices near Alphapointe, Kansas City’s most important institution for the blind.

The situation is dangerous and untenable. It must be fixed, quickly.

Alphapointe’s building is at 75th Street and Prospect Avenue. Visually disabled people work at the facility, receive counseling services there, or both.

Here’s the problem: The building is adjacent to the Kansas City Police Department’s Metro Patrol station, which includes what the department calls a “temporary detention facility.” Suspects are brought to the station, held for a few hours, then transferred to a more secure facility or released through the front door.

Released detainees walk across Alphapointe’s property to catch a bus, or get picked up, or walk home, the organization says. And sometimes, those just-released prisoners seriously harass Alphapointe employees and clients.

“They’ve gained entry into our building,” said Alphapointe president Reinhard Mabry. “I’ve had a blind employee … spit on. We’ve had one vehicle stolen, and another attempted break-in.”

In a November letter to City Hall, the organization claimed the Kansas City Police Department knew these security issues were coming, but took no action. The concerns grew once Jackson County stopped housing city inmates.

“The patrol station was not designed to serve as a jail,” the nonprofit organization wrote. “The police knew this would happen.”

For their part, the police acknowledge the concern, and have promised to look for answers. None has been forthcoming.

“There have been ongoing meetings with Metro Patrol staff, as well as city staff and city council members to discuss further solutions,” police spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina said in an email. “We recognize that this is frustrating for Alphapointe for sure.”

It isn’t only frustrating -- it’s expensive. Alphapointe says it will spend $150,000 for additional security in 2021. It wants city reimbursement for that expense, and another $75,000 every year “until the city establishes a new jail to house its detainees or elects to release them” somewhere else.

“We are worried that these incidents are going to continue and escalate,” Mabry said. “And someone’s going to be seriously hurt.”

In the short term, Alphapointe’s request for reimbursement of its security expenses is reasonable. The City Council should approve it early next year.

The longer-term questions need answers, too. City Hall has known for years it needed to find appropriate space for temporary detainees. It has cobbled together an approach that ships some detainees to surrounding jails, while letting others go. The threat to blind people who work at Alphapointe is the result.

It has to stop, as quickly as possible.

A permanent inmate holding facility is essential, either at the new Jackson County jail or at the old one, once it’s abandoned. Since that space might not be available for years, City Hall should explore immediate relocation of Metro’s holding facility to a safer place.

Transporting inmates to a common release point closer to downtown is another idea to consider.

Visually impaired Kansas Citians face enormous obstacles each day. They meet those challenges with hard work and grace. They should not have to worry about their safety because the city and police can’t find another place to house its short-term inmates.