KANSAS CITY, Mo — The Kansas City, Missouri, Board of Police Commissioners appointed a new interim police chief following Chief Rick Smith’s announcement on Friday that he will retire in late April. Deputy Chief Joseph Mabin will resume his duties beginning April 23rd.
No consulting firms have been hired to search for a permanent chief yet, and Lucas said the board will take their time to make the right decision. There is currently no deadline for the new hire announcement, but a new coalition made up of 15 local organizations is wasting no time.
President Jenny Johnston of the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce, which is one of the organizations involved, said she hopes community listening sessions will address complaints from the past.
“This is a great opportunity to engage so we don’t hear what previously happened in the past where — 'hey, my voice wasn’t heard' or 'I wasn’t a part of that process,'” Johnston said.
Pastor Darron Lamonte Edwards, representing Getting to the Heart of the Matter, said the coalition is hyper-focusing on inclusivity. Sessions will be handicap accessible and the discussions will be translated in seven languages.
“We’re hitting communities in very underserved, underrepresented communities and reaching out to them to make sure they fee welcomed and they are wanted and their issues and complaints are warranted,” Edwards said.
Facilitators will be conducting six listening sessions across multiple regions in Kansas City. They will be small round table discussions with eight to 10 people. The coalition will be presenting their findings to the Board of Police Commissioners to let them know what the people of Kansas City are looking for in their new chief of police.
The sessions are:
- Tuesday, March 29, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at Northland Neighborhoods Inc., 5340 NE Chouteau Trafficway
- Saturday, April 2, 10 a.m. – noon at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Center, 3700 Blue Pkwy
- Saturday, April 2, 10 a.m. – noon at the Evangel Church, 1414 E. 103rd St.
- Wednesday, April 6, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Mattie Rhodes Cultural Center, 1701 Jarboe St.
- Thursday, April 7, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, 2657 Independence Ave.
- Thursday, April 14, 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. at the KC Chamber Board Room, first floor of Union Station
“Lets come together, let’s have a forward thinking conversation and let’s put into motion a new police chief that’s going to make a difference in our city,” Edwards said.
You can also fill out a survey about what you'd like to see in the next chief by clicking here.
