Kansas City is getting nearly $80 million in federal funding for public safety measures as it braces for more than 650,000 World Cup visitors this summer.
On top of hosting six matches, the metro will also be the base camp for four teams: Argentina, England, the Netherlands and Algeria.
At a news conference Thursday, Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II said major international events require layered security and coordination among law enforcement agencies. He added there is no specific or credible threat facing Kansas City.
“Our residents, the people of our community, should not have to choose between hosting a global event and maintaining local public safety,” Cleaver said. “With these federal investments, they won't need to do that.”
The Kansas City Police Department has already been working on a World Cup plan that includes barring officers from taking vacation time and activating the National Guard. Law enforcement will also have to grapple with a temporary extension granting 23-hour-a-day liquor sales.
The largest chunk of federal funding dollars — $59 million — will help pay for police overtime hours and additional officers from other places to help support the event, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said.
Another $14.2 million will go toward the Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Grant Program. Graves said recent legislation allows local law enforcement to address drone threats, and officers are currently being trained on detection and mitigation equipment.
The police department will also receive $2 million to purchase more cruisers and aviation technology equipment. Graves said residents can expect a larger public safety presence during the tournament.
“I want it to be where you're at one of these events, and you look to your right, or look to your left, and you'll see a public safety official, specifically a law enforcement officer, to make sure that you know that we're there if you need anything,” Graves said.
Additional funding will support the metro area’s transportation. The Mid-America Regional Council will receive nearly $2 million to buy automated license plate readers to address reckless driving.
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority will receive just over $1 million to purchase license plate readers, a security camera system, upgraded lighting and gun-shot detection systems. Another $1 million will go toward its Transit Ambassador Program.
Chris Whiting, vice chair of the KCATA board of commissioners, said ambassadors will be “welcoming, knowledgeable and calming presences” across the transit network.
“They'll assist passengers. They'll help de-escalate tense situations, and they'll serve as the eyes and the ears across our system,” Whiting said. “And with hundreds of thousands of World Cup visitors coming to Kansas City, these ambassadors will literally help connect us to the rest of the world.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas said these investments will not only help Kansas City pull off the World Cup this summer, but they’ll also stay within the community.
“Making sure we have the resources to host the next big event, the next global event, more than anything, to keep Kansas City at the front of people's mentions,” Lucas said.
Other public safety concerns include the city’s understaffed 911 system and the lack of a municipal jail. People who break city laws are either held at local police patrol stations or sent to Vernon County and Johnson County jails.
Lucas said the city still plans to have its temporary detention center open by June.
