Northeast News

October 27, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Statistics provided from a source in the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department show that in the East Patrol division, the amount of staff allowed has decreased by more than 21% since 2012. Meanwhile, filled staff positions have seen a roughly 16% reduction over the same time period.

The staffing data is particularly relevant this week, as the KCMO City Council is prepared to vote on a Five-Year Citywide Business Plan this afternoon that would budget smaller raises for KCPD officers over the next several years than for any other city department. In response to the plan, both Chief of Police Darryl Forte and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge#99 President Brad Lemon issued missives early this week calling for pay raise equity between all city departments. Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Sly James penned a response to those concerns in an October 25 blog post entitled ‘Let’s talk about raises,’ pointing out that his administration has increased the police department’s budget every year since he took office in 2011. The data from East Patrol, however, shows that those budget increases haven’t stopped staffing cuts at one of the city’s busiest patrol divisions.

The City Council will discuss the Five-Year Citywide Business Plan at 1:00 p.m. today during its business session, and is expected to vote on the plan during the full Council Session that begins at 3:00 p.m. For more details about the police department pay raise debate, check out our reporting from earlier this week.