KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division has recently closed separate investigations into Kansas City, Missouri's, fire and police departments.
Both investigations ended in the last week, according to city officials.
The DOJ investigation into KCFD involved a Black firefighter claiming employment discrimination and retaliation.
The investigation involving KCPD looked into the agency's employment practices.
Lawsuit reveals DOJ's probe into KCFD
On July 2, 2021, the DOJ notified the city it was launching the investigation into KCFD, according to a letter sent to the city and provided to KSHB 41.
"In a letter dated July 2, 2021, we advised your office that the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice had initiated an investigation into the employment practices of the Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department (KCFD) pursuant to Section 707 of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq," the memo said.
The federal investigation came to light over two years later only after a longtime KCFD employee sued the city, alleging employment discrimination and retaliation.
In the lawsuit, Stephen M. Seals, who was a KCFD battalion chief at the time, accused the department of passing him over for promotions for complaining about discrimination he was allegedly experiencing.
Seals said in the lawsuit he was first contacted by the DOJ on Jan. 6, 2022, where he was told about the probe into KCFD.
He learned the DOJ was looking into "the work environment of African-American firefighters who were employed by Defendant, including instances of race discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, the department’s hiring, promotional, and assignment processes, and its impact on African-American firefighters," according to the lawsuit.
Seals also claimed he was contacted by the DOJ again to participate in the investigation on Jan. 22, 2022.
During the same time frame of learning about the investigation, Seals had been assigned the duties of Chief of Health, Wellness and Safety.
In this role, Seals was responsible for creating and implementing blood draw, and mapping out facilities for employees, among other duties.
Months later in April, Seals said he was passed over for a promotion to Shift Deputy Chief to an employee he claims was younger and less qualified.
Seals said he told the city he was participating in the DOJ's investigation in August of 2022 and alleges he was subsequently stripped of his duties in handling physicals in November 2022.
DOJ closes probe into KCFD, city outlines actions taken since
KCMO Press Secretary Sherae Honeycutt notified the media Thursday evening that the probe into the Kansas City Fire Department had ended.
She provided a copy of a letter the city received from the DOJ about the investigation ending. The letter was sent to the city on Tuesday.
In a letter from the DOJ to KCMO officials, it said in part, "The Department of Justice has concluded its investigation and decided to close the matter without further action."
The letter did note how the DOJ's action can't stop current or former employees from taking other legal action against the city.
Honeycutt also provided a memo of actions the city says it's taken to address concerns about the department.
The document contains milestones the department feels it reached, including community outreach, changes to recruiting practices to diversify hiring, among other things.
"These efforts reflect our ongoing commitment to equity, inclusion, and creating a supportive environment for all city employees," Honeycutt said in an email.
Investigation into KCPD
Over a year after the DOJ launched the investigation into the city's fire department, then-KCPD Interim Chief of Police Joseph Mabin confirmed the DOJ was also investigating the police department.
The DOJ was looking into KCPD's hiring practices and whether the department "engaged in a pattern of discrimination toward Black officers and applicants."
The probe was launched after the DOJ received information that suggested KCPD engaged in discriminatory employment practices that could've impacted entry-level hiring, among others.
KSHB 41 received the following from KCPD on Thursday evening:
"In 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it had initiated an investigation into the employment practices of the Kansas City Police Department. DOJ ceased requesting information from KCPD in 2023. On January 17, 2025, DOJ notified KCPD it had closed the investigation with no findings."
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