Public Safety

Kansas City will test out a new expansion of the legal drink-serving window during the FIFA 2026 World Cup. The temporary rule aims to boost tourism and business, while regulators stress safety and prepare for an unprecedented surge in nightlife activity.

KCUR asked to hear from Missouri and Kansas residents who voted for President Trump about how his second term is going for them. Voters said they support Trump's approach to law enforcement and immigration, but aren't convinced about his use of tariffs.

The Kansas City Police Department has struggled to recruit new officers for years, especially after protests against misconduct and racism. But Chief Stacey Graves says a record number of new recruits graduated into the department in August, and next year’s class is similarly robust.

Mountain lions in Kansas? Yep! While wildlife officials say there's no evidence of a "resident population," a number of the big cats have been seen passing through the state, and sightings have been on the rise in recent years.

Missouri's system often takes years to resolve a misconduct allegation, in some cases allowing officers to move on to a new department. In one glaring example, former Kansas City detective Eric DeValkeneare took five years to surrender his license after being convicted for manslaughter.

Hotel rooms, buses, and liquor laws are just a few of the problems that Kansas City will need to figure out in the next year, before the first World Cup games kick off at Arrowhead Stadium next June.

The drones head out before human first responders to scope out the scene. Lenexa Police say it's cut response times by two minutes in emergency situations, and the city just approved funding to buy more.

A state law prevents companies like Evergy from being sued if police place cameras on the utility poles they own. Some Kansas lawmakers worry that expands police powers too much.

The mayor's acknowledgement on Monday confirms what St. Louisans had suspected and feared: Residents were not given a warning for the first deadly tornado in the city since 1959.

Crime around the Linwood Shopping Center is steering customers away from the Sun Fresh grocery store at 31st Street and Prospect Avenue. The store's operators say the city needs to address infrastructure and public safety improvements in the area.

The city council approved a plan that will begin the process of building a temporary jail facility. The trailer-like buildings will be completed before the World Cup and will house detainees until the city’s permanent jail is built.

Kansas City officials have said the bulk of the money generated by the quarter-cent public safety sales tax will go toward a new municipal detention center.