Community leaders say Kansas City, Missouri, residents deserve a voice in choosing next police chief

KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. She also focuses on issues regarding scams.
Daniel thanked outgoing Chief Stacey Graves for her accessibility and willingness to listen.

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"Chief Stacy Graves, I think she's done a great job listening to the community, being accessible," Daniel said.

In 2023, Daniel and the AdHoc Group Against Crime pushed the department to pick up and respond to 911 calls faster and take missing persons reports sooner — along with the largest goal of repairing community relationships.

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"All of the things we've stated in the past still need to happen, there's always room for improvement," Daniel said.

"Her focus on community outreach helped advance dialogue, trust and engagement," the Fraternal Order of Police said in part in a statement.

The mayor also highlighted Graves' commitment to the community, describing her as "a chief who goes to every neighborhood meeting she's invited to."

Daniel said the next chief must continue that work — and go further.

"Be there to show up, build those relationships, reconcile some of the things that have occurred — that were out of your control, happened before you were in that position — and come with empathy in that position as well," Daniel said.

The outgoing chief also weighed in on what the next leader should prioritize.

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"Start by listening, hearing what people's concerns are, hear what people's expectations for policing on different parts of the city to serve all areas of KC," Graves said.

Daniel said the selection process itself should reflect those same values, and he is willing to host a listening session and said ADHOC Group Against Crime would like to participate in the hiring process.

"I think it's a great opportunity for the Police Board of Commissioners to engage the community, to hold a lot of community events, listening sessions," Daniel said.

He also called for benchmarks to hold the next chief accountable.

"Even setting the benchmarks, as it relates to community engagement, as it related to violence prevention, and how the community is served with law enforcement as well," Daniel said.

The last time Kansas City went through this process in 2022, a coalition of businesses and faith organizations developed a community engagement effort that included surveys, listening sessions and multiple interview rounds. The Kansas City Chamber reported 350 people attended those listening sessions — a number Daniel said falls far short of what is needed.

"That's not even 10% of representation, so we need to partner with the right folks and hiring the right organizations to lead this charge," Daniel said.

The Kansas City police chief is chosen by the Board of Police Commissioners — not directly by the city. The commissioners are appointed by the governor and approved by the state Senate, with the mayor also serving on the board. That state-controlled structure has been in place since 1939 — more than 85 years.

Daniel has previously called for that to change.

"The folks of Kansas City have a right to hear their voices heard," Daniel said.

He added that local control would allow for a closer working relationship between residents and law enforcement leadership.

"So we can work closer with law enforcement, so we can work closer with those in charge — nothing against the current PBOC, but I think they, the Police Board of Commissioners, need to also reflect the community in which they serve and they need to reflect and be from the community," Daniel said.

The outgoing chief said there are strong leaders within the ranks of the Kansas City Police Department. The Board of Police Commissioners and KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas said they are open to both external and internal candidates.

AdHoc Group Against Crime is hosting a "Back on the Block" party Saturday, Aug. 1, to celebrate its new headquarters at 2881 E. 31st St.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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