KC officer’s letter shows why young officers leaving

KANSAS Metropolis, Mo. — Mayor Quinton Lucas acquired an anonymous letter from an officer in just the Kansas Metropolis Police Department.

The officer states their coworkers are in the 1-5 yr variety with the section. Lucas posted it on his Facebook web site Thursday early morning.

They say poor commencing pay out, leadership — exclusively deputy chiefs — and getting overworked are the three factors personnel are leaving KCPD.

“I believe extra essentially the persons of Kansas City have a basic right to say, ‘Where’s all the funds heading?’” Lucas mentioned in an job interview Thursday.

“Unfortunately most of the ‘pay increase’ has only benefited the officers, sergeants, commanders in the major spend phase. The deputy chiefs gave by themselves an $11,800 increase due to the fact December of 2021, while officers got a number of thousand dollars,” the letter states.

“We just had a large factor past 7 days, a major to-do about the law enforcement finances staying 25% as needed by the point out, which the town is previously funding,” Lucas ongoing. “Why is this not heading to paying competitive prices?’”

Lucas claimed he was invited to the police funding monthly bill signing by Republican Gov. Mike Parson at KCPD Headquarters on July 27, but he claimed he did not go due to the fact the city is by now funding the department at the 25% degree this fiscal year.

Lucas desires neighborhood regulate of the section alternatively of the existing Board of Law enforcement Commissioners who, other than for the mayor, are all appointed by Missouri’s governor. Kansas Town is the only metropolis in Missouri that does not have regional control of its police office.

“I’m normally the no vote, so I’m Ok with that if it’s the appropriate goal. I just have to rest at evening,” Heather Hall said when requested if she’s in an exciting situation on the metropolis council, recognizing colleagues of hers would like the law enforcement division run by the mayor and metropolis council rather of the BOPC.

Hall’s also not persuaded the police section has a leadership problem.

“Of class they’re overworked. We dropped 179 officers,” Corridor said in reaction to the problem of why younger officers are leaving the section. “Every business is overworked appropriate now. Increase your hand if you are in an industry the place you don’t have decline of employees and inform me how the rest of them experience.”

The Fraternal Order of Law enforcement and the law enforcement office by themselves would not remark on record.