Kansas City’s police department is controlled by a state-run board of police commissioners instead of local government, which is a hot topic of debate.
Police Chief Stacey Graves said in an interview that he does not see the separation between the state and city control.
He noted that the police commissioners are all residents of Kansas City, and the mayor sits on the board.
Graves said that one of his priorities as chief was to make sure that the department has conversations with council members at City Hall and that they are transparent with them.
He said that the department is locally controlled, and they are making strides towards making sure that local control is not even a topic of conversation.
When asked if the police department has enough money to do its job properly, Graves said that he doesn’t know about that question and it is more complicated than a simple answer.
He said that they adopted the budget from last year, and that’s what they decided on.
Graves emphasized the importance of good relationships with City Hall and that he will not let the ongoing lawsuit or civil matter take them off course from ensuring the department’s needs are met.
