KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.
—
The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department stands to get a five percent increase in its fiscal year 2026-2027 budget under a proposal the city submitted this month.
City leaders hope to finalize the budget March 26.
A five percent increase results in about $17 million more dollars for KCPD. The agency would use the money to hire 50 additional police officers, 10 new call takers and 10 new dispatchers, among other initiatives.
Former KCMO City Councilman John Sharp likes the idea of hiring more officers.
“Our officers are still doing from call-to-call-to-call because they’re understaffed,” Sharp pointed out. “That way, they don’t have time to do the proactive stuff that can reduce crime.”
Zach Moores sees it slightly differently. He owns Crow’s Coffee, which he says has been broken into 15 times in 12 years.
Moores is not opposed to giving the police department more money. He would like to see more solutions on the table, including possibly changing the state-controlled Board of Police Commissioners.
“It’s definitely a disruption when you’re continuing to have deal with another break-in and the money involved,” Moores said. “It’s frustrating.”
The budget also sets aside money to create a new Justice and Community Intervention program to help people in the municipal court system land on their feet.
Mayor Quinton Lucas addressed the police budget during his State of the City speech earlier in the month. He admits the five percent increase is less than what the police department asked for.
Lucas wants to see changes in accountability, saying too much of the police budget goes toward settling lawsuits.
“I’d like to see changes that ensure how we address the best possible accountability long term,” Lucas said the day of his speech.
The public can weigh in on the budget proposal during the following public feedback sessions:
- Monday, March 2, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Guadalupe Community Center, 1015 Avenida Cesar E. Chavez.
- Saturday, March 7, from 9 a.m. to noon at Winnetonka High School, 5815 N.E. 48th St.
—
