Police department issues statement about protest

Following a protest in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, Wednesday evening calling for changes in the police department and the firing of the police chief, the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department released a statement that said it believes it meets or exceeds currently accepted practices and standards in law enforcement about how it handles citizen complaints.

The March for Justice sponsored by More2 referenced a past case of a person who was unjustly convicted, and also cited a lawsuit filed by a former police woman cadet alleging she was fired after she reported a sexual assault by a superior.

“If you care about racism, #metoo, policing, or immigrant issues, they’re all combined here in one horrible situation,” a More2 social media page stated.

The police department’s statement:

“The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department has already made statements regarding the lawsuits filed against the Department and will not be making any further comments on those issues as they will be addressed through litigation.

“The Police Department has a hotline (913.573.6373) where citizens can call to report any type of police misconduct. The Department welcomes complaints from all citizens and encourages anyone with any issue to call either the hotline or the Internal Affairs Office (913.573.6370) to report police officer misconduct. The Police Department is accredited through CALEA (The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies), which includes the processes and procedures governing how Internal Affairs operates.

“The Department will cooperate with any outside investigation as we are confident we meet or exceed currently accepted practices/standards in law enforcement regarding how we handle citizen complaints through the Internal Affairs process.

“If members of the More2 organization has information about current police misconduct by a member of the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department they are encouraged to provide the information to Internal Affairs or any other organization who has jurisdiction so it can be thoroughly investigated and the proper corrective action taken.”