Kansas City is preparing for a big change at the top of its police department.
Chief Stacey Graves is set to retire later this year after four years leading the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department. Although the announcement last month came as a surprise, Graves’ tenure will end as the city sees declines in violent crime statistics.
Graves stepped into the role in 2022 as the first woman to serve as permanent police chief, although the hiring process led by the state-controlled Board of Police Commissioners was heavily criticized for its lack of community input. Kansas City has not hired a chief from outside the KCPD in more than half a century.
Graves said she will stay in her role until the Board names her successor. The Board said that person will be chosen in a “thoughtful and transparent process” to begin immediately.
So what do Kansas City residents need from their next police chief?
Three Kansas City leaders who work on public safety from outside the KCPD say the chief will have to do more than just respond to crime. They want someone who can maintain community relationships, work alongside organizations addressing the root causes of violence, and bring residents into the conversation.
KCUR’s Up To Date welcomed Damon Daniel, president and CEO of Ad Hoc Group Against Crime; Darron Edwards, lead pastor of United Believers Community Church and head organizer of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Public Safety Coalition; and Klassie Alcine, CEO of KC Common Good and a driving force behind the KC360 collective, to discuss what they and their constituents want from the next chief.
Public safety is more than policing
Daniel said that simply adding more officers and making more arrests won’t actually be the factors that contribute to violence.
“We can’t arrest our way out of it,” Daniel said.
Daniel said public safety requires investment in economic opportunity, housing, counseling, intervention and support for people returning to the community after incarceration. That means addressing what happens before a crime occurs, rather than relying solely on the police response afterward.
“Public safety cannot be achieved by policing alone,” Alcine said.
Alcine has seen that approach play out through KC 360, which brings law enforcement, community organizations, neighborhood leaders and other partners together to share information and coordinate responses to gun violence.
When the group first began meeting in June 2022, Alcine said police and community members often felt like they were on opposite sides of the table. Over time, she said, those relationships have become more direct. Residents can share information with officers about problems in their neighborhoods, while community organizations can help connect people with resources after incidents.
Edwards says the next chief must understand that residents may have very different expectations of the KCPD depending on their neighborhood and experiences — and varying levels of trust in the department.
“We’ve got to understand safety has to be understood in every zip code in Kansas City for it to become a safer city,” Edwards said.
The community leaders told KCUR’s Up To Date that Graves’ successor will need to continue the relationships strengthened during her tenure.
Daniel said Graves’ accessibility helped rebuild trust with some community groups that had been damaged under previous department leaders. He pointed to her willingness to attend neighborhood events, answer difficult questions and engage directly with residents.
“When Chief Graves came along, it was easy to cross the hurdle because the bar was low,” Edwards said. “Now you got a chief where it’s not an elementary hurdle, it’s a high school hurdle.”
Alcine also credited Graves with investing in technology, training and data-informed approaches to policing.
Kansas City wants a voice in the choice
One major concern is what opportunity Kansas City residents will get to weigh in about Graves’ successor.
Daniel questioned where the public meetings and surveys are in the selection process. He also called for greater transparency from the Board of Police Commissioners, including making more information public about how the board evaluates the chief.
Kansas City is one of the only major U.S. cities where local elected officials do not control the police department. Rather, the KCPD is state-run, and all but one member of the Board of Police Commissioners is appointed by the Missouri governor; the final member is Kansas City's mayor.
Although the Board conducts annual evaluations of the KCPD chief, those reviews are not public.
Edwards said the Public Safety Coalition plans to meet with Board of Police Commissioners President Melanie Romulus to raise questions about the selection process and community involvement.
The question of community involvement also complicates another decision facing Kansas City: Should the next police chief come from within KCPD, or from outside the department?
Edwards said he has spoken with roughly 10 KCPD officers who are interested in the position. He said an internal candidate could bring established relationships with Kansas City neighborhoods and organizations.
Daniel said he would not rule out an outside candidate, but argued that the public knows less about an outsider’s track record and relationships.
For Alcine, the distinction is less important than their qualities — they should be visible, engaged, transparent and accountable.
After the next chief is selected, Alcine said their first 100 days should include meeting with community organizations already working on public safety. And she wants to see the next chief out in neighborhoods across Kansas City, asking residents what they need from police.
“It may not necessarily be our tears, but we hear their cries,” Edwards said of working with residents affected by violence.
- Klassie Alcine, CEO of KC Common Good
- Damon Daniel, President and CEO of Ad Hoc Group Against Crime
- Darron Edwards, Lead pastor of United Believers Community Church and lead organizer of the KC Chamber of Commerce’s Public Safety Coalition
