Potential budget cuts, changes for Kansas City, Mo. police department

Discussions over broadening budget cuts to Kansas City, Mo. government jobs and services has turned attention to the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department.

This week, Police Chief Rick Smith addressed potential effects that cost reduction plans in Kansas City, Mo. could have on the police department, confronting circulating talk of a possible 400-count staff reduction and two-week furloughs at the department.

Other changes the city’s police department is facing include possible closure and consolidation of some patrol divisions and reduced response times as a result of potential staff cuts.

In September, the Kansas City, Mo. finance department asked city departments to come up with 11 percent reduction plans due to a financial burden on the city caused by unexpected COVID-19 costs.

For the city’s police department, an 11 percent cut in their budget would total nearly $26 million.

“If we do have to make a 400-person reduction, everyone who lives or works in Kansas City will still pay 100 percent of their taxes, but they won’t get the same police service they’re used to,” Smith said in a Wednesday blog post.

Smith also discussed some of the possible long-term impacts of the proposed 11 percent budget reduction for the department, providing numbers on what it would mean for staff and service to the city.

“The last time we took a major budget hit was in the recession of 2008. It took us 10 years to come close to regaining the staffing we had then,” Smith said in the blog post. “We had more than 1,400 officer positions prior to 2008. We’re now at a little more than 1,300. These reductions would put us at less than 1,000 officers.”

During one of Kansas City’s heaviest years in violent crime, there has been increased concern in the department and among citizens as to how the city will be able to manage the crime issue if cuts lead to reduced law enforcement presence and investigations.