By Paul Thompson
Northeast News
November 2, 2016
KANSAS  CITY, Missouri – A debate over police department wages coincided with a particularly violent stretch in the metropolitan area last week.
Kansas City, Missouri Police Chief Darryl Forte and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #99 President Brad Lemon each published missives on Monday, October 24 which criticized the city’s recently released Five-Year Citywide Business Plan, a guiding budget document that had set aside lower raises for the police department over the coming years than for any other city department.
In a blog post, Forte noted that city employees from other departments are scheduled to receive raises between 2.5% and 4.7% in each of the next three years, while KCPD personnel were only slated for 2% raises in each year over the same time period.
“The members of our department deserve equal pay treatment with the employees of other city services,” wrote Forte.
Forte also reiterated in the post that KCPD has already been forced to eliminate more than 200 law enforcement and non-sworn positions in order to stay within the department’s budget.
“Despite these efforts to ensure police are not taking an outsize portion of the city budget, it appears the police department is slated to receive the lowest raises of any city services over the next three years,” lamented Forte.
Over the course of his 25 years with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, Lemon said that he’s unaccustomed to seeing the morale of his fellow officers sink as low as it has in 2016. In his eyes, the proposed Five-Year Citywide Business Plan only added to the problem.
“Morale is not good; it’s not good at all. Playing politics with police officers and their careers is just not the way to do business,” said Lemon. “Who else do you have to do this for you? It’s not like you can tap another resource to answer calls, to handle the warrants or go out to crime scenes and try to figure out who’s doing the crime.”
Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Sly James issued a response to the concerns raised by Forte and Lemon in a blog post of his own published on the evening of Tuesday, October 25. After stating his respect for Chief Forte and his commitment to the safety of Kansas City’s residents, James wrote about his administration’s efforts to support the police department. According to James, those efforts include 1) raising the department’s budget every year he’s been in office; 2) reaching a cooperative pension and salary agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police in 2013; and 3) dedicating 74% of the city’s General Fund to public safety.
“We absolutely have to maintain a top tier police department and my record shows my commitment to just that,” wrote James. “Continuing this will require the same cooperation, open communication, and shared vision of success that has made gains possible in recent years.”
The police department budget debate reached the City Council as the week progressed, first becoming a talking point during a Tuesday, October 25 work session. The issue was later addressed at the Thursday, October 27 business session, and again at the full Council meeting later that afternoon. Citing results from over 100 citizens surveyed during the latest round of public feedback sessions, 1st District Councilwoman Heather Hall created an amendment to the Five-Year Citywide Business Plan that adds extra emphasis on Public Safety. The amendment – which was approved by the Council – doesn’t provide a specific dollar amount for raises, but it does call for a 2% overall budget increase for the KCPD, as well as a commitment for further negotiations with the police department moving forward.
“This is what the people have said they wanted,” said Hall in reference to the public input sessions. “Whether it’s 102 or 102,000 people, I think you would find that this is what they want: public safety.”
The debate over KCPD wage increases coincided with a violent week in Kansas City, especially for the East Patrol Division. Below is a list of some of the violent incidents that occurred as the City Council debated public safety over the course of last week:
–    Homicide near 8th and Flora: Murder charges were filed in the Wednesday, October 26 beating death of Kansas City man Eddie McCauley. According to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, charges of Murder in the Second Degree and Armed Criminal Action have been brought against 26-year-old Thaddeus Thompson, who witnesses reported had been upset after accusing the victim of inappropriately touching him while the two slept in a tent on the night of Tuesday, October 25. While arguing on Wednesda

y, Thompson allegedly grabbed a metal pole and repeatedly beat the victim over the head.
–    Abduction reported near 6th and Brighton: Kansas City Police responded to the area of 6th Street and Brighton in the Lykins Neighborhood early in the morning on Thursday, October 27 on a kidnapping call. A man and woman were walking near 6th street and Van Brunt Blvd when a vehicle pulled up next to them. Four men jumped out of the vehicles with guns drawn and put the woman in the car. According to one police supervisor at the scene, at least some of the parties involved knew each other. Reports later indicated that the abducted woman was eventually dropped off safely at a police station.
–    Child victim of shooting at 1800 block of Topping: A child was killed in a shooting on the morning of Thursday, October 27 at the 1800 block of Topping. Police were called to the scene just after 10:30 a.m. Upon arrival, the officers found a young child suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. KCFD personnel attempting to provide life-saving aid, but the child ultimately died of his injuries. Police officials described the victim as a male child who was approximately three years old.
–    Homicide at 1600 block of Elmwood: On the evening of Thursday, October 27, a man was shot and killed in the 1600 block of Elmwood. Police were called to the residence at around 7:00 p.m. on Thursday night in regard to the shooting. Once at the scene, officers encountered the black male victim in the front yard of the premises. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Witnesses at the scene indicated that two suspects fled the area shortly following the shooting. On the morning of Friday, October 28, KCPD confirmed that the shooting victim had been identified as 49-year-old Anthony Bell of Kansas City, Missouri.
In the midst of the violent week, the Northeast News obtained data from the East Patrol Division which showed that in spite of budget increases for the police department every year since Mayor Sly James took office in 2011, the staffing allowed at East Patrol has decreased 21% over the same time period. Meanwhile, the actual staffing that’s been filled at East Patrol has been reduced by 16%.
In short, previous budget increases haven’t stopped staffing cuts at one of the city’s busiest patrol divisions. Whether this latest round of negotiations solves those staffing issues remains to be seen.