KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson has surpassed her 100-day mark in office.
Throughout her year-long campaign, she made campaign promises focusing on crime accountability in Jackson County.
New violence prevention and intervention programs, and being an advocate for victims of crime, were among some of the solutions she offered as a candidate.
With Johnson as Jackson County Prosecutor, the office is fully-staffed with 72 attorneys.
Within Prosecutor Johnson's first 90 days, she expanded the office's crime strategies unit.
The unit focuses on crime data analysis and handling offenders with a history of committing crimes.
Prosecutor Johnson said during Monday's South Kansas City Alliance Meeting that many of those offenses include property crimes.
"2025 got off to a rough start," Prosecutor Johnson said. "I know we’re entering summer months where violence is typically higher, but we’re going to stay the course."
There have been 54 homicides in Kansas City, Missouri, this year.
According to KCPD's daily homicide tracker, 27 of the cases have been cleared, meaning the case was turned over to the prosecutor's office and charged.
A third of the homicides in Jackson County involve domestic violence, which is up nearly 120% since last year.
Prosecutor Johnson said prevention is difficult with domestic violence cases, but her office is committed to taking on those crimes rather than let them sit in municipal court.
"When something as tragic as domestic violence happens, in my mind, I of course think I'm calling the police," she said. "I'm going to proceed with prosecution. I'm going to keep myself and children safe, but for so many people it's, 'Am I gonna be able to pay for daycare on Monday?"' she said.
From now on, the prosecutor's office might pursue felony charges.
Cases her office are focusing on include defendants with a long history of domestic violence, municipal cases involving strangulation and those with restraining orders on file.
"A city case can easily be dismissed and allow us to file a felony-level, state case," Prosecutor Johnson said.
John Sharp, president of the South Kansas City Alliance, fully supports those solutions.
He shared domestic violence crimes are personal to him.
"That's been so hurtful to see that increase in domestic violence homicides," he said. "My late stepdaughter was a homicide victim her senior year at Mizzou 25 years ago in a domestic violence situation. It haunts you for the rest of your life."
Sharp said his family was never able to get justice in his stepdaughter's case.
He believes there needs to be stricter punishments for those crimes to prevent them from happening.
"We can save lives by stopping it from escalating, but you have to file charges and take them off the scene," Sharp said. "You can't just give them a ticket and say stop beating your wife."
As Prosecutor Johnson is just over six months off the campaign trail, the South Kansas City Alliance is among those watching her solutions.
She shared her office filed 80% of cases they received from police in the month of March.
Monthly updates from her office are shared during the regular Kansas City, Missouri, Board of Police Commissoner's meeting.
