KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 News reporter Lauren Schwentker covers stories in the Northland, including in Clay and Platte counties. Have a story idea? Send her an email.
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As the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department searches for its next police chief, Northland residents are weighing in on what they want from the department’s next leader.
KCPD is holding a series of listening sessions to hear directly from the community. One of the sessions was held Thursday night at the Samuel Rodgers Health Center.
Northland resident Kelsie Toole attended a listening session and said maintaining a sense of safety in neighborhoods is one of the issues on residents’ minds.
“The people that I talk to feel safe in their neighborhood,” Toole said. “How can we keep that? How can we continue that?”
KCPD is searching for a replacement for Police Chief Stacey Graves, who announced her intent to retire in July.
Toole said she would like the next chief to be someone from Kansas City who understands the city’s distinct neighborhoods.
“The reason I want somebody from Kansas City is because we are like a quilt,” Toole said. “Every neighborhood has its own little piece.”
Staffing is another issue Toole wanted to learn more about.
KCPD Deputy Chief Luis Ortiz provided a department staffing update at a September Board of Police Commissioners meeting.
As of Aug. 31, KCPD had 212 vacancies. 22 recruits are scheduled to graduate Nov. 19.
KSHB 41 News met some of those recruits when they entered the academy in January. At the time, it was the department’s largest recruiting class in about 20 years.
Entrant officer Ella Tomasic said then that serving Kansas City motivated the decision to join the department.
“I just feel really passionate about this city, doing what's the best for the city, and I feel like this position is the best way I can do that,” Tomasic said in a previous interview.
Ortiz also said another large class began the Regional Police Academy on Sept. 28, with 40 recruits starting their careers.
Toole said the listening sessions give residents an opportunity to make their priorities known.
“They don't know what you need unless you tell them, and they’re taking the time and trouble to find out what’s important to you,” Toole said.
The next listening session is scheduled for Oct. 29 at Union Station.
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