Judge rules Kansas City's reallocation of police funds violated state law
October 5, 2021
In May, the City Council passed two ordinances taking $42.3 million directly out of the police department's budget. The measures committed $45.3 million to be used by the police department for crime prevention, community engagement and outreach.
Those who supported the ordinances explained that it was basically a transfer while increasing the police budget by $3 million.
But the judge disagreed, finding that the city violated state law and ordered the city to restore the funding to the police department.
The police department released a statement after the ruling:
"KCPD engages in the budget process six months ahead of when the budget year begins. The police department puts a great deal of effort into this process as does the city. This budget process directly affects not only the police department and the city, but the members in our community. We appreciate the court recognized the validity of the 2020-2021 budget process."
Mayor Quinton Lucas
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas also released a statement on the ruling:
"The
mayor and a majority of Council have proven consistently our commitment
to creating safer neighborhoods and saving lives by addressing all
causes of crime, and shown our willingness to take bold action to
achieve such a goal. That work continues. The decision announced by
the Court today has provided a pathway forward for the City to require
the Kansas City Police Department to engage in discussions related to
crime prevention throughout future budget cycles, should the Department
seek to receive funds in excess of 20 percent of the City’s General Fund
Revenue. I imagine the Council will set the expectation that any
dollar received by the Department over statutory requirements must be
negotiated and focused squarely on preventing violent crime in our
community. Discussions about next year’s budget have already started. I
will continue working with the City and Department leadership to ensure
every taxpayer funded entity in our City shares a role in working to
prevent violent crime and create better outcomes for all people in all
of our neighborhoods.
"The City will weigh all options going forward, including appeal. Given the negative implications of the decision on any mid-year budget adjustments, including those now before Council in the Department’s favor, I will continue to ask the Board of Police Commissioners to increase staffing of law enforcement based on the Department’s current fiscal year budgeting of 1,413 law enforcement positions, with only roughly 1,200 positions filled today. Council has supported the positions and there is no longer any excuse to be understaffed."
The Missouri Attorney General's Office released a statement on the ruling:
"Today, a Jackson County Judge sided with the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners and the Attorney General's Office and struck down Kansas City's illegal attempt to defund the police. This is a huge win for the people of Kansas City and law enforcement officers who work every single day to keep their communities safe. I will always stand up for Missouri's law enforcement and fight back against craven attempts to defund the police"
2 comments:
Good.
I once refused to attend a LE conference in Kansas City because the crime near the area of the hotel/conference was near uncontrolled riots.
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