May 16, 2017, Public Forum
MINUTES OF THE
BOARD OF POLICE COMMISSIONERS PUBLIC FORUM
TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017
A meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners of Kansas City, Missouri was held on Tuesday, May 16, 2017, at Mohart Multipurpose Center, 3200 Wayne Avenue, Kansas City.
PRESENT:
Commissioner Leland M. Shurin, President
Commissioner Alvin L. Brooks, Vice President
Mayor Sylvester “Sly” James, Jr., Member
Mr. David V. Kenner, Secretary/Attorney
ABSENT:
Commissioner Angela Wasson-Hunt, Treasurer
Commissioner Michael C. Rader, Member
Commissioner Shurin opened the forum at 6:30 p.m. He introduced the Board and opened the forum to the public for comments. Commissioners Wasson-Hunt and Rader had excused absences. The following points were raised by the members of the public in attendance:
1) Daisy Price: The Chief should utilize available resources and technology. The Chief should be an advocate for officers, continuing education to the community about the process of policing, remember that all human life is precious, focus on customer service, youth programs, and get more police on the streets. The Chief should be active in the community, and work for neighborhood collaboration.
2) Donna Jackson: The Chief should practice good communication, sensitivity, and cultural diversity, and stop profiling.
3) Lisa Donnici: The Chief should strive to bring the neighborhoods together as one. The Chief should bring back the CIO position.
4) Damon Daniel, President of AdHoc Group Against Crime: The Chief should support self-care for the members of the Department. The Chief should be an advocate for continual officer training, including de-escalation of confrontations, diversity, and community partnerships. The Chief should have prior urban core experience. The Chief should increase the amount of minority officers. The Chief should be accessible in the community.
5) Leslie Caplan, President of Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood Association: The Chief should bring back the CIO position, and should partner with neighborhood associations. Distribution of officers should be based on calls for service. Codes enforcement needs to be more active. KC NoVA should be discontinued. The Chief should be a local candidate.
6) Kamisha Webb: The Chief should be dedicated to assisting the community and restoring the broken trust of the Department, especially with the youth of the City. The Chief needs to be someone who can think outside of the box and bring new ideas to the Department.
7) Carol Coe, Former Councilwoman: Ms. Coe had concerns about the current Board, and asked them to resign. Ms. Coe wants a national search.
8) Moses Pernell: There needs to be more police patrolling the streets.
9) Melba Curls, Former Coucilwoman and State Representative: The Chief should be from the Kansas City area.
10) Officer Tim Griddine: The Department is severely understaffed, and needs more officers.
11) Jack Barr: The Chief needs to uphold the law of the land. The Chief needs to stand up for the officers on the Department.
12) Tracy Barrow: Mr. Barrow had concerns with the current Board in regards to an ongoing investigation. Mr. Barrow stated that he does not want the current Board to select the Chief.
13) Vern Brown: The Chief should be a man of faith. All officers should be trained to interact with people of different cultures and people suffering with mental illnesses.
14) Robert Jones: Mr. Jones had concerns about an ongoing land dispute.
15) Jan Johnson: Ms. Johnson had concerns with the ongoing violence throughout the City. She discussed a 6-year-old who is scared about all of the shootings; she is scared, too. The City needs more police patrolling the streets to make the neighborhoods safer. She encouraged the Department to get rid of prostitutes and drug addicts on the streets.
16) Ron Hunt: The Chief needs to be active in the community, and support youth programs such as PAL. The Chief should be an outside candidate, and no politics should be involved in the selection process.
17) Diane Burkholder, Kansas City Activist: The Chief should be highly involved with the community. The community needs to be involved with the selection process. Review of officers should be transparent.
18) Councilwoman Alissia Canady: The Chief needs to be a leader with good character. The Chief should have experience in an urban city, and needs to be well informed of the diversity in the City.
With no other comments being offered, the forum ended at 7:48 p.m.
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President
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Secretary/Attorney
Board of Police Commissioners Minutes