Support and Resources
Legal Aid & Advocacy
- ACLU of Missouri (www.aclu-mo.org) — Legal assistance on civil rights cases including police misconduct, unlawful searches, and First Amendment rights.
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund (www.naacpldf.org) — Police accountability litigation.
- Midwest Innocence Project (theinnocenceprojectmo.org) — Exoneration for wrongfully convicted individuals.
- Legal Aid of Western Missouri (lawmo.org) — Free civil legal services for low-income residents.
Filing Complaints
- Office of Community Complaints (OCC) — The civilian complaint mechanism for KCPD. Criticized for lack of independence (reports to the BOPC). Filing still creates an official record.
- File in person at 1125 Locust, Kansas City.
- Keep copies of everything.
- Follow up persistently.
Bail Funds & Mutual Aid
- Support local bail funds that free individuals from pretrial detention.
- Check with Decarcerate KC, SURJ Kansas City for active campaigns.
If You Are in Immediate Crisis
- If threatened by police: Record what you safely can. Get badge numbers, vehicle identifiers, witness information.
- If injured: Seek medical attention. Document injuries with photographs.
- Contact a lawyer before making any statement to internal affairs or prosecutors.
Academic & Policy Research
- UIC Epidemiology Project — Police violence as public health crisis.
- Mapping Police Violence — Police killings database with demographics.
- Campaign Zero — Policy recommendations for reducing police violence.
(Contact [email protected] to suggest additions.)