kcpd

Across the country, the number of stolen Kias and Hyundais has skyrocketed, but nowhere more so than in Missouri. Police say social media is partly to blame.

Thousands of Kias and Hyundais were stolen in Missouri last year. The problem is so bad that two major insurance companies have ceased writing new policies for Kias and Hyundais built before 2023.

Supporters of state control say the system was established to limit political influence on the police department in the 1930s. But the 150-year history of state control dates back to the Civil War.

This year saw the arrest and indictment of retired Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski. Gun violence and homicides continued to plague Kansas City, something that the new KCPD chief is ready to tackle. A look at the biggest criminal justice stories of the year.

The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners oversees a $268 million budget and regularly discusses important matters in closed session.

The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners selected Stacey Graves, a 25-year veteran of the department, as the next police chief of the KCPD. But some community members remain critical of the hiring process.

The Board of Police Commissioners selected Acting Deputy Chief Stacey Graves, who's been with the department for more than 25 years, to lead the Kansas City Police Department. Activists — and even Mayor Quinton Lucas — criticized the hiring process for lacking transparency and community input.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says the Board of Police Commissioners could choose the KCPD's next police chief as soon as Tuesday, but he has "not made a decision" on who he will support for the position.

Iconic Kansas Citian Alvin Brooks will be presented with the Henry W. Bloch Human Relations Award from the Jewish Community Relations Bureau.

"I think we need to do a better job of understanding what are the concerns — particularly of Black officers," says Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas in response to the Department of Justice's probe into the Kansas City Police Department.

Amendment 4, which will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot, asks Missouri voters to require Kansas City to increase funding for police.

The investigation comes after The Kansas City Star reported earlier this year on allegations of racism and harassment of Black officers in the department.