Peggy Lowe
Public Safety, Justice and Investigative ReporterAs KCUR’s public safety and justice reporter, I put the people affected by the criminal justice system front and center, so you can learn about different perspectives through empathetic, contextual and informative reporting. My investigative work shines a light on often secretive processes, countering official narratives and exposing injustices.
Email me at lowep@kcur.org.
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KCK’s chief of police and the county district attorney are Black men. After years of police corruption, residents are hopeful — but worried — about how they'll handle a fatal police shooting. -
Chief Stacey Graves, just five months into the job, promised more officers on the streets to help curb the high homicide and violence rates. Community members overwhelmingly called for local control of the department. -
Sir'Antonio Brown, just six years old, was shot and killed Wednesday night in Kansas City, Kansas. Gun violence has surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death for American children, according to a December report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. -
A former KCPD attorney said the department refused to give evidence to prosecutors and denied public records request, but the Board of Police Commissioners said he had “incomplete facts.” -
In what it calls a crisis, the Violence Policy Center’s new study says Black Missourians are killed at more than twice the national rate for the Black community, and 94% are killed by guns. It's the seventh year in a row that Missouri has ranked as the highest Black homicide rate in the country. -
On the eve of the NFL Draft, the Kansas City Police Department says it has twice asked for overtime payments from the city from the last NFL event, the February Super Bowl victory parade. The Board of Police Commissioners also questioned Mayor Quinton Lucas about the $13,000 spent on sending his security detail to Arizona for the game. -
Trustees of the building on the northern banks of the Missouri River called it a "painful decision" to close because they don't have the $500,000 needed to restore it after a devastating fire. -
Malachi Robinson, 25, pleaded guilty to shooting a 16-year-old eight times because of his sexual orientation. The teen survived but still has bullets in his body. -
Andrew D. Lester appeared for a three-minute hearing at the Clay County Courthouse for a formal reading of his two felony charges, first degree assault and armed criminal action. Meanwhile, Lee Merritt, a lawyer representing the teen’s family, said the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the shooting as a federal hate crime. -
Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson announced the charges against Andrew D. Lester late Monday afternoon after days of national outcry.
