New Jackson County prosecutor’s relationship with KCPD off to good start. Will it last? | Opinion
When Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced charges against 20-year-old JoSean Lee of Kansas City for criminal damage to a burial site, it marked a decidedly different approach in charging decisions, according to Johnson.
Lee faces allegations of first-degree property damage, first-degree harassment and — get this — knowingly disturbing a burial site, according to court records.
When Johnson and I spoke last week, she said she discovered this little known criminal statute that makes it a felony to vandalize a grave site, and advised police officials of the applicable law in the case.
“That was a new one for all of us,” Johnson said. “I did some quick research and found out this was a Class E felony, which was kind of surprising.”
She added no longer would the prosecutor’s office and the Kansas City Police Department work in silos regarding violent crime here.
“The era of pointing fingers is over,” Johnson said in a recent interview outlining her top priorities during her first 100 days in office.
It was widely known that former Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker and former Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith were at odds over alleged improprieties by police officers. After Smith retired in 2022, current Chief Stacey Graves replaced him. Thanks to Graves’ calming approach to the office, tension died down between the two agencies.
Call me a cynic here, but to me the schism still lingers in some ways. We’ll see whether the mea culpa plays out when or if Johnson is forced to hold officers accountable for violating the law, as her predecessor did.
It doesn’t take a criminologist to surmise that two of the top law enforcement officials in the county must have a healthy respect for each other’s responsibility. An ongoing beef between the police chief and the local prosecutor does little to foster a sense of safety in the community.
In steps Johnson, the newly-sworn in prosecutor who ran for office on a pledge to work with the police department to reduce violent crime in Kansas City.
The case against Lee was “a great example of our office reaching out to the police department to get some results,” Johnson said.
KC grave site vandalism suspect arrested
On Jan. 13, a Kansas City police detective observed a video circulating on social media showing Lee and an unidentified juvenile desecrating the headstone of an unnamed homicide victim at an area cemetery, court documents show.
The two are seen standing near the grave site and yelling at the headstone, according to legal documents.
Lee is allegedly seen on video pouring an unknown liquid on the headstone and trying to light it on fire with a lighter. In the video, Lee is also seen armed with a rifle, court records indicate.
The video upset the victim’s family, according to charging documents. Because of the fear of retaliation, neither the victim nor their family is identified in court records.
Online court records indicate a police detective arrested Lee Jan. 24. He appeared before a Jackson County judge on Monday. Bond was set at $10,000, cash only. A bond review hearing was scheduled for Thursday.
Domestic violence, property crimes
During our conversation, Johnson discussed some of the policy changes she’s implemented. Among the most pressing and important changes is the decision to remove domestic violence cases involving serious injuries from Kansas City Municipal Court.
As my colleague Melinda Henneberger has written about for at least the last five years, a domestic abuser who seriously injures their partner should not be summoned to the same court as a traffic offender.
“Ninety percent of domestic violence cases are handled at the municipal level,” Johnson said. “We’re looking to change that.”
Another shift in policy: Unlike Baker, Johnson said her office plans to prosecute people who distribute hardcore drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl. Low-level, nonviolent drug possession offenders shouldn’t fear prosecution, she said. Instead, they’ll be shepherded into drug court, as they have been for years.
Pending is the formation of a property crimes unit that would address the rampant amount of business break-ins occurring in Jackson County, Johnson said. She said she is in the process of creating a unit called the High Impact Property Crimes Team.
Currently, “three attorneys are assigned to that team,” Johnson said.
County prosecutors are working with area business groups to identify repeat offenders and giving business owners legal remedies to issue trespassing notices without police involvement.
If those cited return to the same business to steal, that violation could morph into a burglary, Johnson said.
“Property crimes are at the forefront of all of our minds,” she said.
Down the line, Johnson said she envisions a stand-alone property crimes division staffed by area law school students and experienced prosecutors.
“We need more bodies,” she said.
I appreciate Johnson’s collaborative, all-hands-on-deck approach to public safety. She was Kansas City’s first director of public safety for a reason, and that experience should serve her well as she learns the ins and outs of being Jackson County’s top prosecutor.
But who knows if this newly-established working relationship with the Kansas City Police Department will last when an officer runs afoul of the law?
