law enforcement

If passed, Amendment 6 would allow Missouri to fund salaries and pensions for elected county sheriffs and prosecutors through court fees. It was placed on the Nov. 5 ballot by the General Assembly to reverse a Missouri Supreme Court ruling that found the fees unconstitutional.

Kansas and Missouri police departments have paid thousands of dollars for an aggressive and discredited officer training. Plus: How some universities are tackling the issue of food insecurity among their students.

The Supreme Court of the United States will decide this summer if unhoused people can be fined or arrested for sleeping outside. Local government officials, including some in Kansas City, say enforcement of encampments is needed to address the crisis. But advocates say criminalization is a waste of resources.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly signed the Kansas law that denies civil asset forfeiture in cases of lower level crimes like simple possession of drugs. It also forces police to return seized property faster.

The man, known only as Sniper 1, fatally shot two-year-old Clesslynn Crawford during a 2022 standoff. He is still working for the Joplin Police Department.

In March 2022, a Missouri sniper shot and killed a toddler in error, acting — according to experts — contrary to training and best practices.

Missouri’s first legal sale of cannabis came in early February 2023. Kansas residents could immediately drive over and buy it legally, but risked arrest and prosecution if they brought their joints or gummies across the state line.

A Kansas City lawmaker has tried for years to crack down on celebratory gunfire with Blair's Law, named for a Kansas City girl who lost her life from a bullet fired randomly skyward. The problem gets worse when the Chiefs play — and win — playoff games.

Millions of dollars have flowed into the state of Kansas from opioid settlement funds, which are supposed to go to treatment and prevention. So why are police getting a lot of that money? Plus: A Kansas City musician who turned his grief over his parents' deaths into art.

The state of Kansas expects to receive more than $340 million over the next 18 years from opioid settlement funds. Much of that has gone to state and local law enforcement agencies, despite criticism about how they've handled drug enforcement.

In St. Louis, murder investigations often rely on a single detective, making them vulnerable if the detective is unable or unwilling to come to court. But a former homicide investigator said he has no obligation to cooperate, claiming that “retirement is meant to be retirement.”

Over the course of a three-and-a-half year period, Kansas police have taken more than $25 million in property and cash believed to be part of a crime — even if the victims are never charged. But critics say that civil asset forfeiture is being used unnecessarily and without proper oversight.