State of Missouri diverting millions of KC's city budget into the police department
A new law coming from the state level, completely out of the city's control, requires that 25 percent of the city's general fund goes to the police.
A new law coming from the state level, completely out of the city's control, requires that 25 percent of the city's general fund goes to the police.
A new law coming from the state level, completely out of the city's control, requires that 25 percent of the city's general fund goes to the police.
At the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department’s north patrol, the budget is set to give more money to officers here and across the city.
It’s a move that would seemingly be welcomed by just about everybody involved with setting up the budget.
But Mayor Quinton Lucas sees it as an example of too much state control over the KCPD.
How the police budget comes together in Kansas City is unique to almost every major city in the United States.
A state-appointed board of police commissioners watches over the KCPD, primarily due to issues from nearly 100 years ago. Lucas wants local control, as is the case in most cities. It’s a goal that’s easier to dream of than achieve.
Last year, the mayor attempted to redirect a portion of the police budget to specific crime prevention and community policing efforts, but the move was lost in court.
A new law from the state level requires that 25 percent of the city's general fund goes to the police, up from the current law mandating 20 percent.
Although a five percent increase may not seem that significant, in the scheme of a major city, it means millions of resources will be diverted away from other areas.
This change is a direct result of the mayor's budget challenge. Lucas says city lawyers and ultimately judges will one day solve the question of what he calls an anti-democratic system of state police control.
