The Board of Police Commissioners
The Board of Police Commissioners (BOPC) is the governing body that provides police service to Kansas City under Missouri statute. It is the mechanism through which the state exercises control over the city's police — and it was created for that purpose.
Confederate Origins
The BOPC system was invented in 1861 by Missouri Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson, a segregationist who supported the Confederacy. Jackson wanted to strip St. Louis of control over its own police because St. Louis had a Union-loyal mayor and a growing population of Black residents and abolitionists. The "Metropolitan Police Bill" created a state-appointed board to run the St. Louis police. Basil W. Duke, a Confederate cavalry officer, was among the first commissioners.
A state representative called it "an effort to disenfranchise and oppress the people of St. Louis because they were not sound on the Negro question."
Kansas City got the same system in 1874. The pattern is the same: cities with large Black populations cannot be trusted to control their own police, so the state does it for them.
Current Structure
- Five members. Four Kansas City residents appointed by the Governor of Missouri with State Senate consent. The Mayor of Kansas City serves as the fifth member ex officio.
- Meetings: KCPD Headquarters, Community Room, 1125 Locust, Kansas City. Public doors open at 9:00 a.m.
- Streaming: City Channel 2, city website, KCPD YouTube.
- Contact: [email protected] | Media Relations: 816-234-5170
- Calendar: Official BOPC Calendar (Board may enter closed sessions; disciplinary hearings are closed under state statute.)
The Problem
The board acts as a buffer. When citizens bring complaints to the City Council, the Council points to the Board. The Board answers to the Governor's office. No locally elected official has the power to fire the Chief of Police or compel changes in policy. The four appointed members face no electoral consequences from the people affected by policing decisions.
This was the design in 1861. This remains the design in 2026.
Individual Officer Cases
The KCPD has a documented history of officer misconduct ranging from excessive force and false arrests to sexual assault and homicide. Below are cases that have been documented, litigated, and in rare instances, prosecuted.
This is not an exhaustive list.
Eric DeValkenaere — Pardoned for Killing Cameron Lamb
On December 23, 2024, Missouri Governor Mike Parsons issued a full pardon to Eric DeValkenaere, the KCPD detective convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the 2019 death of 26-year-old Cameron Lamb. DeValkenaere had been sentenced to six years in prison. The pardon erased the conviction entirely.
Cameron Lamb was killed in his own garage. DeValkenaere and his partner had no warrant, no probable cause, and no body cameras rolling. The Jackson County Prosecutor secured the conviction. The Governor's pardon nullified that work.
Blayne Newton — Two Killed, No Charges, Paid to Resign
Officer Blayne Newton was involved in two fatal incidents. He faced no criminal charges. In 2025, the department allowed him to resign in exchange for approximately $50,000. The city council learned of this from a leaked internal email.
Ongoing Patterns
- Officers involved in fatal shootings are routinely placed on administrative leave and returned to duty with minimal review.
- The internal affairs division operates with minimal transparency; sustained complaints against officers are rare.
- Under state statute, disciplinary hearings are closed to the public.
(If you have information about a case that should be documented here, contact: [email protected])