Law Enforcement

A row of police line up in the middle of the street on the Country Club Plaza, flanked by demonstrators on the left and right.

Imagine That: What If Police Unconditionally Respected the Community?

By Mary Sanchez | April 6, 2022

Two former Kansas City Police Department officers are now training people in how to use “unconditional respect” to help reform law enforcement.

Search Begins for Kansas City’s Next Chief of Police

By Mary Sanchez | March 29, 2022

The process of gathering community input to replace Kansas City Police Department Chief Rick Smith is being taken up by the Urban League and the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.

The cover of "Ripple: A Long Strange Search for a Killer," features a photo from the low country in coastal South Carolina.

The Boy In The Woods: The Story of Frank McGonigle

By Mary Sanchez | March 4, 2022

A new book written by Jim Cosgrove, better known as children’s performer “Mr. Stinky Feet,” documents the disappearance and subsequent murder of Frank McGonigle, a member of the prominent Kansas City family that operated McGonigle’s Market.

Lauren Billinger, a South Patrol officer with the Kansas City Police Department, responding to a call for service.

Police Staffing

By Flatland | February 19, 2022

Police staffing is not an exact science, and it is increasingly complex. But there are studies by the U.S. Department of Justice and policing organizations addressing what variables should be considered and what hasn’t proven to be the most efficient for taxpayer’s dollars.

Use of the Force: KC Debates Police Department Staffing

By Mary Sanchez, Cody Boston | February 17, 2022

Kansas City is grappling with how to allocate resources for its police department this budget season. Much of the debate turns on how many police officers are needed, and how they should be deployed.

curiousKC | Inform Our Next Episode on Police in KC

By Vicky Diaz-Camacho | January 24, 2022

curiousKC invites you to weigh in. Submit your questions about the police’s role in our community here.

Photo illustration of former KCKPD detective Roger Golubski

FBI has Investigated Kansas City, Kansas, Police for Decades, but Prosecution of Bad Cops is Rare

By Steve Vockrodt, Midwest Newsroom, Peggy Lowe, KCUR 89.3 | November 9, 2021

As a federal grand jury investigates Roger Golubski, a former Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department detective, FBI documents dating back to the 1990s reported police beat Black people routinely, were said to be involved in the drug trade and ignored the crack cocaine problem.

‘Defund the Police’ was Designed to Provoke a Response. In Missouri, it Worked

By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent, Allison Kite | June 9, 2021

Republican lawmakers have responded with outrage to moves in Kansas City and St. Louis to reshuffle police funding.

Turning Data to Dialogue: Police Stop Data and the Search for Solutions

By Mary Sanchez, Vicky Diaz-Camacho, Cody Boston, Catherine Hoffman | November 18, 2020

Missouri has some of the nation’s most comprehensive and longstanding data on police traffic stops. Yet for all of the tallying and annual reports and statements of concern, little has changed.