KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories providing solutions and offering discussions on topics of crime and violence. Share your story idea with La’Nita.
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The South Kansas City Alliance heard about plans Monday night for a temporary detention facility to address immediate needs while a permanent rehabilitation and detention center is being built.
One speaker emphasized the urgency of the project during the meeting at the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department's South Patrol Division.
He said voters passed an extension of the public safety sales tax, which will pay for a new rehabilitation and detention center, a permanent one. But he pointed out that's going to take a while to construct, get operational and the city has a need right now.
Kevin Klinkenberg, Executive Director of Midtown KC Now, a group that has partnered with the city and is currently considering several industrial sites for the temporary facility.
"The current site that we're looking at is in the northeast area off of 435 not far from the Missouri River," Klinkenberg said.
The project involves a team of developers with the job of building an efficient facility.
The goal is to open by early spring ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
"We think that they can meet that timeline," said Klinkenberg. "And we're hopeful that they get a proposal back that they like, which will be in about a week, that they can execute something in September and start the process."
Bobbi Baker-Hughes, president of the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, stressed the importance of consequences for lawbreakers.
"I think that you can walk on any corner and see what the impact is," said Baker-Hughes. "When there are no consequences for your actions, you can do whatever it is that you want to do."
Ron Lindsay, Sr. Pastor at Concord Church, spoke to broader societal impacts.
"I've seen what's happened in terms of the quality of life," said Lindsay. "And a part of that is if you don't have a place to detain those that break the law then you really create some impacts, some unintended impacts that you never expected."
The new permananent facility will be funded by an extension of the city’s public safety sales tax approved by voters.
Because Kansas City, Missouri, doesn’t have its own detention facility, the city contracts with Vernon County, Mo., to house male prisoners in that county’s jail in Nevada, Mo. The city also pays Johnson County, Mo., to house female prisoners in that county’s jail in Warrensburg.
