In late September, the Kansas City Council greenlit $16 million to fund a temporary jail in police headquarters downtown.
But, according to a recent letter Police Chief Stacey Graves sent to Mayor Quinton Lucas, City Manager Brian Platt, city council members, and members of the Board of Police Commissioners, that plan is not as sound — or set in stone — as officials made it seem.
The legislation passed quickly, and was the body’s answer to months of public outcry over waves of property crimes and continuing gun violence.
The plan proposes turning KCPD’s 8th floor into a detention center and central booking and holding facility, with construction to start early next year so it could open in 2026. The 24-hour facility would have space for 144 people, including 55 overnight beds. As KCPD Major Josh Heinen told council members in September, the department needs a larger capacity, short-term holding facility to provide “first consequences for arrests.”
But the letter obtained by KCUR lists several potential challenges identified by SFS Architecture, a local firm, in their final study summary of the project. Graves asks officials to consider a different plan.
“Upon reviewing the completed project summary, I am concerned the project location, setbacks and costs will push the project completion date well into the future,” Graves stated in the Oct. 28 letter. “I believe this Community, City and Police Department need to consider alternative locations for this project in order to mitigate these challenges.”
A spokesperson for Mayor Quinton Lucas said the city respects the voice of KCPD command staff, "but decisions on detention facility placement rest exclusively with City Council.”
"City Council has elected to place inmate holding and release at the Police Headquarters building, where until 2015 it previously resided for 77 years," spokesperson Jazzlyn Johnson said in an emailed statement.
Council member Johnathan Duncan, who represents the 6th district, said the letter leaves him with more questions about the process.
“I feel that city council should be more in the loop if we're going to spend this type of money without a lot of information,” said Duncan, who was the lone vote against the 8th floor jail proposal. “Rushing to spend $16 million seems unwise. It doesn't really seem like we're being great stewards of the precious taxpayer dollars that we have.”
Timeline questions
City staff anticipated a projected construction start date of late 2025. Construction would last 16 months.
In committee discussions, Lucas and 3rd District Councilmember Melissa Robinson asked if the facility could be completed sooner, which also got support from 5th District-at-Large Council member Darrell Curls.
“Is there any circumstance in which we could get this done in half the timeline that you provided?” Robinson asked city staff.
The city staffer said, “I think so,” and said the city could select a contractor who can speedily complete the project.
In Graves’ letter, she said the facility in the current plan would not be completed prior to Kansas City hosting FIFA World Cup matches in summer 2026. There was no public discussion in council about finishing the facility by that time.
Council members were told that construction could cost upwards of $18 million, $2 million more than the city allocated.
In addition, contractors would need to reinforce a raised floor to accommodate the weight of the construction. The study also found that there is no space to put the construction equipment and materials.
The 7th floor of KCPD headquarters is currently occupied, so construction would have to happen in phases and staff would need to be relocated. The plan would also require basement space, forcing KCPD to move the files and equipment stored there. The temporary holding and booking facility also requires increased staff, and it’s unclear how much it will cost to run.
City staff listed these challenges in a committee meeting, but council members greenlit the project anyway.
An alternative solution
In the letter, Graves recommends that the city build its temporary jail facility in the old East Patrol Division station at 5301 East 27th St. That station closed in 2015. The current East Patrol station is located on the corner of 27th Street and Prospect Avenue.
Graves said the old East Patrol station sits on a city-owned lot that’s partially shared with the KCPD Fleet Operations Unit. She said after consulting with SFS Architecture, the location will “satisfy the concerns related to the Police Headquarters location.”
But Johnson, spokeswoman for Lucas, said the former station is located in the heart of a residential neighborhood near single-family homes, a 7-Eleven and a liquor store.
"Releasing inmates into a neighborhood with no nearby services can create harms for all parties," she said.
Graves wrote that the old East Patrol station has the potential to hold more people and more space for offices and detective interview rooms. Since the building is empty, Graves said demolition can begin immediately without relocating staff or material.
That would decrease the construction timeline by six months, so that the facility could be open by the 2026 World Cup, she says in her letter.
The letter also estimates lesser construction costs because of the location and the building structure.
“The need for an expanded short-term holding facility is clearly a priority for the Department, the City and this Community,” Graves said in the letter. “I believe moving the facility location from Police Headquarters to the Old East Patrol Division station offers us the best opportunity for the most efficient and cost-effective option.”
The $16 million to construct the facility is coming from the city’s public safety sales tax fund and the general debt and interest fund.
It’s unclear if the City Council will need to pass a new ordinance if it decides to build the holding facility at the site of the old East Patrol station.
