The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners wants people to weigh in as they search for a new police chief.
"We want public input into both the process of selection of the chief and ideas of what attributes the chief should have," said President Leland Shurin said.
At the first meeting Monday, people raised concerns about long response times north of the river and some of the high-crime areas in the city.
Mitzi Loar lives in the Northland and feels, "They're using a twin-size sheet to cover a king-size mattress. It doesn't matter how many strips you tear it into, you're still not going to make it fit."
The final two forums will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the following dates:
- May 15 - Avila University, Whitfield Conference Room, 11901 Wornall Rd.
- May 16 - Mohart Multipurpose Center, Room 121, 3200 Wayne Ave.
The deadline for candidates to apply is May 31st. From there, Ralph Anderson and Associates will narrow the pool down to 3 to 6 candidates. Then residents will get to meet them and talk to them directly at a community meeting. An interim police chief will be appointed by the board of commissioners. It will be a current KCPD officer who is not running for the permanent position.
