Blayne Newton quits Kansas City police but keeps peace license — for now | Opinion
Former Kansas City police officer Blayne Newton resigned Friday. The news of Newton’s immediate departure from the police department was encouraging, but I’d be the first to admit that I did not see this coming.
In this town, problem officers seem to be protected more so than held accountable for their untoward behavior while in uniform.
I spent time late Friday reading the terms of Newton’s separation agreement with the police department. Among other stipulations, he received $50,000 to go away — a mere pittance compared to the millions of dollars his actions have cost Kansas City taxpayers.
But as of this writing, Newton still had his peace officer license. That is a major red flag.
There is a remedy to this glaring omission: Anyone with a vested interest in the Kansas City community can file a complaint against Newton with the Missouri Peace Officer Standards and Training program known as POST, the state agency that handles disciplinary issues involving law enforcement officers and their license.
I would encourage any stakeholder here who is outraged that Newton’s police certification is still valid to do just that.
To file a complaint, a report can be submitted directly to POST via its online complaint form.
That Newton will no longer wear a police uniform in Kansas City is a positive step forward for the department in regaining the community’s trust. But there is nothing keeping Newton from being employed in law enforcement elsewhere around the state, and that’s a problem.
Because of that, I think it’s fair to call to task Police Chief Stacey Graves and the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners. Showing Newton the door was long overdue — this former lawman’s body count is ridiculous. To be exact, since 2020, Newton has fatally shot three people and injured another with gunfire, brutalized two women while in uniform, and was on the scene when Kansas City officers punched and tased a local teenager.
Newton should have been fired, as my colleagues and I on The Star’s editorial board have long argued. The fact that this settlement agreement did not dictate that he surrender his police license should not be ignored.
When we learned recently that Newton would not face criminal charges in a deadly shooting that killed Marcel Nelson, 42, and Kristen Fairchild, 42, and also injured Jaden Thorns, we encouraged Graves to get rid of an officer with a penchant for violence. Friday’s announcement did not go far enough.
Like other wayward officers have done here in recent years, Newton should have given up his license on his own. While it remains true Newton has never been charged with or found or pleaded guilty of a crime like some others have, his track record in this community is anything but exemplary. He must never be allowed to patrol the streets ever again, here or elsewhere.
I have a healthy amount of respect for Chief Graves. When I was on The Star’s breaking news desk, she worked in KCPD’s media unit and she was always fair with me and other reporters. So I won’t pile on her too much here. But she should have shown Newton the door way before now.
If he had any remorse for what’s he done, Newton would have followed the example set by former police detective and convicted killer Eric DeValkenaere, who surrendered his license sometime last year. DeValkenaere finally turned over his license nearly five years after he was convicted of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the 2019 shooting death of Cameron Lamb.
Aside from leaving the Kansas City Police Department, Newton voluntarily surrendering his peace officer license would have been the honorable thing to do. It’s not too late.
This story was originally published February 14, 2026 at 5:08 AM.
