Kansas City Missouri Police

After former Kansas City Police officer Eric DeValkanaere was convicted of killing unarmed Black man Cameron Lamb, there's been speculation — and protest — about his potential pardon by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.

Eric Devalkanaere, found guilty in November 2021 of killing 26-year-old Cameron Lamb, is appealing his conviction. As protestors rallied on the street, a three-judge panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals questioned his attorneys on his version of what happened, including if Lamb was armed.

Records obtained by the Missouri Independent show that, during a software transition in 2021, the Kansas City Police department had been warned of possible technical issues that could lead to false arrests, but a court official said those risks were “ignored.”

Andrew “Dan” Lester, 84, has a preliminary hearing in Clay County Court on Thursday and Friday, where the high-profile case will be held with limited media coverage and a gag on what attorneys can say outside of court.

A third of missing women in the U.S. are Black. In Jackson County, the death of Jaynie Crosdale, who was reported missing in January and found in the Missouri River in June, renews concerns about how cases of missing Black women are handled by Kansas City Police and other local law enforcement.

The child was attacked two weeks ago by three to four dogs and rushed to the hospital. KC Pet Project says it is still investigating in the incident.

Jaynie Crosdale’s family remembers her as charismatic and able to talk to anyone. Her death has brought up questions about how police handle cases of missing Black women.

The separate attacks allegedly occurred after Dairon Lee Riley, 23, met the women online. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said authorities believe there are more victims.

About 300,000 complaints have been filed with the Kansas City 311 hotline since March 2021 — spanning issues like trash, street maintenance and property violations. The KC Media Collective analyzed the problems, where they are and how long they take to be fixed.

The county prosecutor’s office filed charges against Isiah Clinton for the shooting at Klymax Lounge that killed three.

Kansas City is pressuring the Mid-America Regional Council to utilize a menu option for 911 callers, rather than route all calls through the Kansas City Police Department. Officials hope to drastically improve the time it takes for KCPD to answer 911 calls.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, whose office won the conviction of police detective Eric DeValkenaere, said Attorney General Andrew Bailey was “attempting to expand his power to that of a judge.”