The Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) announced Wednesday they will purchase body cameras with donated funds.

“We have been listening to the community’s call for change,” KCPD Chief Richard Smith said Wednesday. “The community has repeatedly asked for body cameras. I am pleased to announce that the DeBruce Foundation has donated enough money to allow us to begin to purchase these cameras. We just learned about this late this afternoon.”

The DeBruce Foundation donated $1 million for the purchase of body cameras and raised an additional $1.5 million from community partners, business leaders and philanthropists.

“We believe in Kansas City and we want to be part of the solution for the future good of our community,” a statement from the foundation said. “Both citizens and police agree body cameras are needed and a good next step, but there is not enough funding. It is time for foundations and business leaders to take action. That’s why The DeBruce Foundation is stepping up to lead this charge along with the Police Foundation (PFKC).”

According to a KCPD press release, there will be a quick and timely implementation of body cameras within the department.

“The KCPD has long recognized the value of body cameras in policing to ensure accountability and has been working to implement them,” the press release said. “We are so pleased that members of our community have stepped up and generously agreed to meet the needs of our community.”

The department has already purchased new in-car camera systems and storage to be compatible with a body camera system.

The implementation of body cameras is one of the demands by protesters and civil rights groups who have rallied in the Country Club Plaza and Midtown areas for the past six days.

Protests against police brutality began throughout the nation in response to the death of George Floyd, who was detained by Minneapolis Police Department officers before he died.

The officer who pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes has been charged with second-degree murder, and the three other involved officers have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

Mayor Quinton Lucas called an emergency meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners Thursday, in part to discuss accountability.

Lucas said use of force complaints against officers, depending on severity, will be sent to outside agencies for review in all situations. The department is working to establish a firm process and will use one of the four county prosecutors’ offices, the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the local U.S. Attorney’s Office for Western Missouri.

“All officer-involved shootings will be reviewed by an outside agency, every one,” Lucas said. “Even in situations where it appears the officer’s conduct is justified, we will make sure there is an external, third-party review that has a chance to make sure that there is sufficient accountability for all.”

Lucas introduced a resolution Thursday that he said will ensure that body cameras are used properly. The resolution will require that body cameras are turned on during all civilian interactions, and that the cameras are regularly serviced and functioning.

The resolution will include that images will be retrievable and made available upon request to the city prosecutor, any county prosecutor, the Missouri Attorney General, the U.S. Attorney General, or any relevant federal or state authority.

Additionally, the city auditor will conduct an audit of the body camera program within three months of implementation to ensure adequate use.

“I will say I think all of us should have pushed harder for it earlier,” Lucas said of funding for body cameras. “We are in a different time and we are trying to be as aggressive and as proactive as we possibly can be.”

Lucas said he expects body cameras to be in use within the department by the end of 2020.

“We want to make sure not only are we funding body cameras, but that it’s actually consistently funded year after year,” Lucas said of additional long-term costs, like data storage.

At the June 9 meeting, the Special Committee for Legal Review will consider a resolution directing the City Manager to determine the number of body cameras needed and the cost of purchasing body cameras for use by KCPD’s patrol officers.

The resolution directly cites Floyd’s death, adding that a 2017 nationwide survey from Pew Research Center found that 93% of respondents favored police wearing body cameras, including 66% of police officers.

While body cameras can be a helpful tool, they are not the whole solution to police misconduct, Lucas said.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker’s office announced Thursday the launch of a new web page to accept submissions from the public of police misconduct or excessive use of force.

Citizens can submit videos and other evidence to the web page.

“We have heard an outpouring of concern about police conduct related to the recent protests in Kansas City,” Baker said. “We needed to give citizens easy access to the system to report those concerns.”

Although the prosecutor’s office has long responded to such allegations, Baker said with so many reports in social media and elsewhere from the public, it was necessary to offer this additional outlet.

The prosecutor’s office has also notified KCPD that it is ready to review any evidence of protesters throwing bricks or other objects and injuring officers.

The department has sought funding for body cameras during budget negotiations for several years, Police Foundation of Kansas City (PFKC) President Tye Grant said.

The PFKC was established in 2010 by the Board of Police Commissioners to raise funds that are not available within the department’s existing or projected budgets, through tax support or other sources.

“It’s the mission of the Police Foundation of Kansas City to do what we can to make our community a safer community,” Grant said.

He thanked members of the business and philanthropic communities for their contributions in a way that affects change immediately.

“It has been expressed this week that that is something our community wants and they believe it would provide some understanding within our community,” Grant said of the cameras.

Donations for body cameras can be made through the PFKC at policefoundationkc.org. 

The DeBruce Foundation, started in Kansas City in 1988, is a national foundation that works to expand economic growth and opportunity through workforce development.

This article was updated June 5, 2020 to reflect new information.