The Kansas City Police Board of Commissioners doesn’t have a single representative from the city's east side, which neighborhood leaders and advocates say shows disrespect and lacks accountability to the Black community.
In July, Gov. Mike Kehoe appointed Heather Hall, a former Kansas City councilwoman from the Northland, to the five-member board. Hall has strong ties to the police department as her husband is a retired KCPD sergeant.
Kansas City and St. Louis are the lone U.S. cities that don’t have control of their police departments. State control of Kansas City’s department has been in place since 1939, and in March, Kehoe signed a bill that restored the St. Louis Police Department to state control, reversing a statewide 2012 vote.
Of the five members on Kansas City’s Board of Police Commissioners, four are appointed by the Missouri governor, and the Kansas City mayor always holds the fifth spot. Other than Mayor Quinton Lucas, the only Black member on the board is Madeline Romious, a former member of the Police Foundation of Kansas City who lives north of the Missouri River.
The board controls the department’s $343 million budget, a figure that has climbed over the past few years.
Pat Clarke, president of the Oak Park neighborhood, said the lack of representation from the city’s east side shows disrespect to residents. He noted that the last appointees from east of Troost Avenue were Alvin Brooks, who served from 2010 to 2012, and Bishop Mark Tolbert, a senior pastor at Victorious Life Church, who retired at the end of 2023.
“What do they call it? Boots on the ground. Right now you’ve got to have somebody who says, ‘I gotta look out for my side of the street,’” Clarke said.
Kehoe’s office didn’t return an email seeking comment, nor did Hall. KCPD Capt. Jake Becchina said, "The decision and responsibility of the appointment of Kansas City, Missouri Police Commissioners rests with the governor of Missouri."
“I am so grateful for your partnership in support of law enforcement in Kansas City and Missouri,” Hall tweeted on July 11 in response to Councilman Nathan Willett’s public statement complimenting Hall as a commonsense leader. “Thank you @GovMikeKehoe for this wonderful opportunity to serve. #BackTheBlue @kcpolice.”
Sheryl Ferguson, founder of It’s Time 4 Justice, who often attends the board’s monthly meetings, said she’s concerned that Hall will focus on her former council district and fail to represent the entire city. Ferguson said it’s not surprising that Kehoe appointed Hall, who is opposed to local control of the department.
“She doesn’t want us to have the authority to manage our own city, which is dumbfounding to me,” Ferguson said. “I’m hoping with her tenure, as she continues to serve on the board, that she might see fit for something different.”
An even larger issue, Ferguson said, is that the board fails to push back against controversial issues, such as the millions paid out in legal settlements.
“The problems we’ve had with the board in the past is that they just monkey-stamp whatever the chief does,” she said. “We have not seen a board that will say ‘no’ to some things. They will go over line items that need to have approval, and 'the ayes have it, the ayes have it, the ayes have it' is all I hear.”
Clarke, who runs a popular park program for kids, said Kehoe should come to Kansas City and tour his neighborhood to get a feel for what’s needed.
“I would love to talk to the governor,” Clarke said. “I’d love to build a relationship with him.”
