KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri, police said Wednesday that officers will not ask stop people to ask for paperwork to determine whether their business is essential during a stay-at-home order.
The police department said it has received reports that officers have done so, prompting concerns that people may be impersonating police.
“KCPD officers should NOT be doing this,” the police department said in a tweet. “If this happens to you, call 911 immediately.”
We have heard reports that people are being stopped by police and asked for paperwork to determine whether their business being out is essential. KCPD officers should NOT be doing this. If this happens to you, call 911 immediately.
— Kansas City Police (@kcpolice) March 25, 2020
Police said that during a normal traffic stop, officers may ask where someone is going, but they will not ask for papers or stop someone merely for driving.
Police Chief Rick Smith said at a news conference Monday that enforcement of Mayor Quinton Lucas' stay-at-home order does not fall to the police department.
If residents see what they believe to be a violation of the stay-at-home order, they should call 311 unless the act rises to the level of a crime, Smith said.
For more information on KCPD’s response to the stay-at-home order and COVID-19 pandemic, click here.
