KCmorgue

State Control vs. Local Accountability

Kansas City remains one of the only major cities in the United States where the local police department is not controlled by the city it serves. The KCPD is governed by a Board of Police Commissioners (BOPC) — four of five members appointed directly by the Governor of Missouri. The Mayor of Kansas City sits as the fifth member, the sole locally elected voice on a board that answers to Jefferson City, not to the people who live under KCPD jurisdiction.

The BOPC system did not originate in 1939. The first state-controlled police board in Missouri was created in 1861 by Governor Claiborne Jackson — a pro-slavery, pro-Confederacy Democrat who wanted to strip St. Louis of control over its police because the city had a Union-loyal mayor and a growing abolitionist movement. A state legislator called the bill "an effort to disenfranchise and oppress the people of St. Louis because they were not sound on the Negro question." Kansas City received the same system in 1874.

State control was briefly struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court in 1932, then revived in 1939 by segregationist Governor Lloyd Crow Stark under the pretext of reforming the Pendergast machine. The "reform" restored the Confederate-era structure, and it has remained in place ever since.

When citizens demand changes in policing tactics, budget reallocation, or accountability for police violence, the City Council has virtually no power to act. Decisions are made by gubernatorial appointees who face no electoral consequences from Kansas Citians. This arrangement systematically disenfranchises the city's predominantly Black and working-class communities, who are most subject to over-policing and most deprived of recourse.

"A police force accountable to a distant state capital rather than the citizens paying for it is a recipe for authoritarianism."

According to data from Mapping Police Violence, Police Scorecard, and Fatal Encounters:

• KCPD kills at a rate higher than 95% of U.S. police departments of comparable size.
• The force is approximately 77% white in a city that is roughly 30% Black.
• KCPD arrests and uses force against Black residents at rates wildly disproportionate to their share of the population.
• 25% of Kansas City's general revenue is legally mandated to go to KCPD, starving housing, health, youth programs, and other services.

Use of Force & Fatalities

Fatal police shootings per capita rank among the highest for major cities. A disproportionate percentage of victims are unarmed individuals or people in mental health crisis. Officer-involved shootings are investigated internally with minimal transparency; disciplinary action against officers in fatal incidents is rare.

Racial Disparities: Black residents are disproportionately targeted at every tier of enforcement — traffic stops, pedestrian checks, use of force, and arrests. These disparities persist year after year, insulated from reform by a governance structure that prevents local elected leadership from holding the department accountable.

Budget Allocation: Missouri state law mandates that no less than 25% of Kansas City's general revenue go to the KCPD. This floor was enacted during the Pendergast era as a check on corruption. It now functions as a fixed cost that the city cannot adjust regardless of need. As the city confronts crises in affordable housing, public health, and infrastructure, the police budget cannot be reduced. Kansas City spends heavily on policing while underfunding social services that studies show reduce violent crime.

Lack of Transparency: Police misconduct investigations are conducted internally and rarely result in meaningful discipline. The Office of Community Complaints (OCC) nominally provides civilian oversight but remains under the authority of the BOPC.

(Data is being compiled and updated.)

Recent Developments

KCPD Settlement Budget (2025–2026): The KCPD exceeded its $2.5 million settlement budget, paying out nearly $11 million in police misconduct and brutality settlements. The city council learned of the overrun through a leaked internal email rather than official channels.

Officer Blayne Newton: Killed two people, faced no criminal charges, was paid approximately $50,000 to resign.

Pardon of Eric DeValkenaere (December 2024): Missouri Governor Mike Parsons pardoned Eric DeValkenaere, the KCPD officer convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the 2019 killing of Cameron Lamb. The pardon was condemned by Kansas City leaders, civil rights organizations, and Lamb's family.

Local Control Lawsuit: Gwendolyn Grant, president of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, filed suit in 2021 arguing that the state-controlled police board violates the Missouri Constitution's guarantee of local self-government. The suit remains active.