KCPD claims it is World Cup-ready as it unveils new command post bus
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- KCPD unveiled a $2.1M command post bus outfitted with cameras, drones and radios
- Bus will station at WWI Museum for FIFA Fan Festival and serve daily duties
- Police Foundation funded $2.1M build with ARPA funds; KCPD says it will boost efficiency
Five months before international soccer fans make the voyage to Kansas City for the FIFA 2026 World Cup, the Kansas City Police Department has declared itself prepared for the football festival.
KCPD debuted its new command post bus Friday in front of the World War I Museum and Memorial, which is anticipated to host thousands of fans as the site of FIFA’s Fan Festival in Kansas City and will host the bus during that time.
The bus, which looks like an RV on the outside, is equipped with high-powered technology including nine cameras, two drones that can fly continuously without recharging, police radio capabilities and multiple monitors.
The interior of the bus features two areas at each end, one side for the command center and the other side for detectives and negotiators. The negotiator area has several large and small monitors lining the walls, includes work stations and a table where detectives can sit across from each other.
The bus’s main location will be at the museum during the tournament, but it will also be used for daily police needs, as well as other large-scale events, emergencies and rescues.
It replaces a 28-year-old outdated command post, according to Kansas City police chief Stacey Graves, that is unreliable but will still be used.
“This vehicle will greatly enhance our efficiency, effectiveness and response to the people of Kansas City,” Graves said at a news conference.
The bus was donated by the nonprofit Police Foundation of Kansas City, funding the $2.1 million project through American Rescue Plan Act funds distributed by the state of Missouri. The project began in November 2023, according to the foundation’s website, and took 20 months to build, Graves said.
“The Police Foundation in Kansas City wants [officers] to be resourced so that they can succeed to do what it is we expect them to be able to do for us,” Police Foundation president and CEO Tye Grant said. “But that does take resources, and it takes investments to do that, and because of the Board of Directors of the Police Foundation, we’re able to stand here today to showcase this incredible piece of equipment that we provided for our city.”
What we know about World Cup security
FIFA, the governing body that oversees the global tournament, will be overseeing security operations for the first time, instead of leaving that to individual host cities. Private experts will be brought in to partner with local experts and law enforcement.
Local and national law enforcement entities have been preparing for the World Cup since Kansas City was announced as a host to six matches at Arrowhead Stadium this June and July.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe is also requesting more than $60 million in the state budget to support Kansas City’s infrastructure for the event and increased law enforcement presence. Kehoe is requesting additional funding so members of the National Guard, Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency can provide security and medical services at matches and other events.
Preparations continue for local and state officials, but Kansas City police and the department’s board of commissioners feel fully prepared for what awaits in June.
“We feel very comfortable about the readiness, but that goes back to having a lot of commitment and dedication from people over the last year and a half or more to get ready,” president of the Board of Police Commissioners Tom Whittaker told The Star.
The department will have a presence all over the city during the tournament, Whittaker said, with hopes of visibly deterring crime and keeping the peace.
“We will need to be throughout the city. That’s why you see just the personnel assignments over those six weeks when people are here where we’re going to need everybody on call and present.”
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 3:19 PM.
