Check out a HUGE development in a statement from the local NAACP branch . . . Recently, there was a debate on this issue by the NAACP but it looks like they have now reached a conclusion on what they think should be the future of Kansas City's Police Department. This could define not only this election but how Kansas City looks in the future.
CHECK IT:
NAACP SUPPORTS LOCAL CONTROL OF POLICE DEPARTMENT
On February 15, 2011, a motion ended in a majority vote by the Executive Committee of the Kansas City, Missouri NAACP to support local control for the Kansas City Police Department and to encourage a meaningful community discussion of this issue.
The current system of governance was due to the corruption generated by the Thomas Pendergast machine during the 1920s and 1930s. The reason for state control of the police department no longer exists. St. Louis is just a few steps away from gaining local control of its police department. Kansas City will be the only city in the nation that does not control its police department.
The following factors are the basis for supporting local control:
● The police department budget is the largest single item in the Kansas City, Missouri’s annual budget. With duplicate human resource departments, vehicle maintenance, supplies and employee benefits, there should be cost savings and efficiencies that may be obtained by local control.
● There should be greater effectiveness and efficiency between the County law enforcement and the police department by the elimination of a governing body that is not responsible for the budget.
● The discussion and agenda for local control should be driven by the Kansas City
community and not substantially influenced by outside money interests.
● As the last City without local control of the police department, Kansas City, Missouri will be in the unique position, based on community discussion, to design the best features for local control.
With a change in our city governance on March 22, 2011, it is time to fully explore the positives and negatives of having the Kansas City police department under local control.
Anita L. Russell is president of the NAACP branch and can be contacted at (816) ### - ####
Good. We need Local Control of the police department. KCPD and the Board of Police Commissioners have been under performing for years.
ReplyDeleteCan the NAACP explain how having our police department accountable to a bunch of local corrupt politicians improves clearance rates, reduces crime, and improves services provided to the taxpaying citizens of Kansas City? I suspect not. They, like most of the advocates for local control, just point to past problems as an indication of a need for a change in governance. Looking to the future, I cannot see how having our police department under the control of corrupt local politicians benefits the citizens, or results, in lower crime rates, and improved clearance rates for homicides. Explain this adequately, and I will consider local control. Until then, I don't trust the local politicains enough to give them control of our law enforcement. Hell, the KC Star doesn't even trust the local politicains to run the animal shelter! I sure don't want them trying to run our police department!
ReplyDeleteThe City HR just did away with a written examination for the Airport Police. It seems they couldn't find people capable of doing the job who could pass the eighth grade reading level test. So, now they don't use a test at all. Are these really the same people we want hiring our cops??? I think we should leave well enough alone. The last thing I want is some idiot who can't pass an 8th grade reading test showing up with a gun! No thank you!
ReplyDelete"With duplicate human resource departments, vehicle maintenance, supplies and employee benefits, there should be cost savings and efficiencies that may be obtained by local control." Has anyone really checked these claims? It seems to me if the City has enough employees on hand that they can take over each of these operations, perhaps it is the City, and not the PD, that are overstaffed, an thus spending wastefully on excess staff. If they don't have the staff to take over these operations from the police, they will no doubt have to hire in the current police HR people, vehicle maintenance, supplies, and employee benefits to do the jobs they are already doing. So, how does that save the taxpayers anything? This argument of some massive saving for the taxpayers just doesn't hold water!
ReplyDelete"Can the NAACP explain how having our police department accountable to a bunch of local corrupt politicians"
ReplyDeleteKCPD already reports to crooked politicians and they wine and dine them too.
According to The Kansas City Star, the commanders and a lobbyist ran up three tabs of more than $500 each at the swanky restaurant (a November tab of $540, a December tab of $570 and a December 2009 meal for $564.48), all billed to the Kansas City Police Department as "legislative expenses," which actually means that we're all picking up the tab. And, at all three meals, they were reportedly boozing, which violates department policy.
and ----- "In all, Lewis and Stewart charged about $7,000 last year in meals, gas and other expenses for about 80 days' worth of work between them. They also charged about $5,000 for lodging. In 2009, they charged about $7,600 in meals and expenses and about $6,000 in lodging.
ReplyDeleteLewis is the department member who charged all three Capital Grille meals to his department card, the records showed. Stewart attended two of those dinners."
Vanessesa needs a hobby or job.
ReplyDeleteWho cares?
ReplyDelete"Vanessesa needs a hobby or job."
ReplyDeleteIt's PAT!!!
Sherwood must be writing big checks out of the memberships' funds again.
ReplyDeleteKCPD doesn't like it when the truth gets out.
ReplyDelete"The police department budget is the largest single item in the Kansas City, Missouri’s annual budget. With duplicate human resource departments, vehicle maintenance, supplies and employee benefits, there should be cost savings and efficiencies that may be obtained by local control"
ReplyDeleteThis is such a waste of our tax dollars especially with the price of gas and the economy the way it is. Can we say BIG GOVERNMENT.
The naacp is a worthless organization, that has no voice or impact on the modern world. Whatever they support, most people oppose....
ReplyDelete2:17 - Good point. It is doubtful there are any savings at all.
ReplyDeleteIf KCPD ends up under local control, the FOP will become the most powerful unions the city has ever seen. They will make local 42 look like romper room. Can you say, "Blue Flu!?!" Local control would be a disaster for this city.
ReplyDelete6:32 -- yeah, because what we are doing works. Shut up and get back to writing tickets.
ReplyDeleteHow much time and effort did the NAACP actually spend both studying and doing field work to better understand how the KCPD actually works? Given the generalities of the recommendations, not much.
ReplyDeleteJust changing the process or organization of much pf anything is unlikely to get better results. Unless you have competent focused people running an organization, and people who are held ACCOUNTABLE for results, the organizational chart isn't going to make much difference.
If we currently had local control the KCPD would be run by Funkhouser, Jolly, and Sharp. It may be hard to belive, but those three are more clueless about public safety than the current police board.
Be careful what you wish for.
There has not been a single police commissioner indicted since the start of state control. Cannot say the same for city council members. Seven have been indicted, four have served prison time, one is under investigation and one is brain dead. Be careful what you ask for!
ReplyDeleteCan you spell disfunction=City Control
How exactly does local control reduce crime? It does not. Do people here really want the yahoos in the perpetually dysfunctional City Hall running the PD? What's wrong with having a Board? What has the Board done that is so egregious? The people on the Board MUST be residents of and live in this City, by law. It's not not like they are from other parts of the state.
ReplyDeleteHow's is crime being reduced now? And for the past several years.... It's has not.
ReplyDeleteA local citizen can not even get a hold of a Police Commissioner. You can vote John Sharp out of office. The current system is broken and Not one citizen or City Hall official can do anything about it. Only Jefferson City can, and they don't care.
Yeah right, with 2 people killed every week the only people who think that a system like that is OK would be the police department. or a 41 percent clearance rate.
ReplyDeleteThe point is the Politicians who were crooked were caught and are serving time, or they are booted out of office by the voters not so with the Police Department. Who lost their job over years of poor performance. Which Deputy Chief which Police Chief? How can Kansas City voters require better performance from the Police Department? The voter can't even vote on the issue. BUT our Tax dollars are sure being used and for poor performance. Taxpayers are being screwed by a system in which they have no say!
Here's a good article in the Wall street journal about the recall of poor performing politicians. Under a city controlled police department the voters would have a say in the political process and could demand better performance.
ReplyDeletehttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703899704576204681039800682.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Don't the voters of Kansas City elect their Mayor? Yes! Does the Mayor sit on the police board? Yes! Do the voters have the ability to vote out the Mayor? Yes, and their have done during this election cycle. The remaining four members of the police board are appointed by the Governor. Do the voters of Kansas City have the ability to elect their Governor? Yes! Do they have the ability to influence the Governor's decisions about who to appoint to the police board? Yes! Do they? NO, or at least very few actually make the effort! Instead, it is easier to act like they have no say in the process and point to problems with performance.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, I'm not happy with the recent performance of our police department as it applies to homicides and clearance rates. 41% is alarmingly poor! They have to work on that aspect of their performance. That said, I will give credit where credit is due. I am pleased to see the noticable drops in their response times to 911 calls and the rest of their crime stats. The bottom line is that there is certainly room for improvement, but it is not all bad.
Those who favor local control need to be able to articulate how performance will improve and how service to the citizens will improve if the police department were placed under local control. Simply making them accountable to City Hall doesn't suggest an improved performance. Also, people who point out the constant, ongoing corruption within City Hall have a valid point. There is reason for concern about having our police accountable to local politicians.
While police need to improve their performance in certain areas, such as homicide clearance rates, I'm just not sold on the idea that local control is the solution some seem to think it will be.
You bet and we voted the Mayor out. BUT Kansas City voters are just a portion of those who vote for the Governor. They DO NOT have a say in how t he choses the Board of Police Commissioners where do I get the vote or where is the ballot box to vote for the BOP/ There is none. Those are political appointments by the Governor. Except for the Mayo so your analogy is only partially true.
ReplyDeleteThose in favor of the current system must be able to articulate how 2 murders a week can be justified along with a 42 percent clearance rate HOW IS this an acceptable system? Who has been held accountable. Who lost there job for such a poor performance????? I'm not sold on the current system and it's lack of accountability for such poor performance.
“I hear the word accountability spoken dozens of times during planning sessions with my clients. The problem with accountability is similar to the problem with change. It's easy to talk about in the third person ("They need to be more accountable"), but it gets uncomfortable to mention in the first person. When is the last time you heard someone at City Hall say, "We really need to be more accountable for our own performance"?
ReplyDeleteWhen is the last time you heard someone at KCPD say, "We really need to be more accountable for our own performance"
ReplyDeletePeople seem to think the governor pulls names out of a hat of people nobody else knows to be police commissioner. The 4 state senators from KC each give a name to the governor so that each of the senate districts are represented.
ReplyDeleteThere is too much misinformation flying around this city. I need to hear what the **** is local control going to be? The Mayor running the police? Majority vote of the City Council? City Manager?
3/17/11 10:09 PM
ReplyDeleteThanks for your factual civics lesson on how police commissiones are selected! Maybe we could begin lessons on the blog that teach Who's Who in government and their responsibilities. A number of officials are blamed for reasons beyond their control.