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Investigating racism inside the KCPD

A Kansas City Star investigation found that solidarity within the Kansas City Police Department doesn't extend to its Black officers — who say they've experienced racist discrimination, unequal punishment and even bullying from fellow officers and superiors.

The Kansas City Star published an investigation this week on racism within the Kansas City Police Department.

Reporters spoke with 25 current and former Black officers about discrimination and abuse behind the blue line, and their experiences with a system that "papered out" Black officers from the department on flimsy pretexts — all while keeping leadership mostly white. "For many officers, the question lingers: If this is how police treat their own, what chance does a regular Black citizen have?"

Nomin Ujiyediin sits down with Kansas City Star reporter Glenn Rice to talk about the newspaper's reporting.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
Trevor Grandin is a contributing producer for KCUR Studios.
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