Public Safety

Between Kansas City's six games, multiple base camps, and an influx of an estimated 650,000 visitors, Kansas is expecting a strain on public safety, emergency and transportation services. The disaster declaration sets up Kansas to receive federal assistance.

The money will help Kansas City pay for police overtime, buy more cruisers and put ambassadors on public transit ahead of this summer's World Cup. Kansas City will host six matches, and the metro will be the base camp for four teams.

A Kansas judge sided with Attorney General Kris Kobach that state law does not allow the quarter-cent public safety sales tax to be extended for the uses Johnson County commissioners wanted. The county will formally withdraw their resolution to put the question on the March ballot.

The Kansas City Police Department got money from the city and the police foundation to grow its fleet of drones and expand its use of an AI information-sharing software. This and similar technology is used in departments across the country as part of a “drones as first responders” program.

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.