The new Kansas City, Kansas, police chief is expected to be named in mid-May, according to Unified Government Administrator Doug Bach.
Bach made his remarks during a “Facebook Live” program at noon Tuesday with interim Chief Michael York and Bridgette Cobbins, assistant county administrator.
Bach said candidates for police chief would be brought into an assessment center on April 15.
He said a blue-ribbon committee of community representatives would be part of the process, and the committee would assess how the candidates perform during the assessment, how they engage with elected officials and how they act in high-risk situations.
The police chief candidates will be introduced at a UG Commission meeting in April, according to Bach.
Bach said that ultimately, the selection of the police chief is a decision he would have to make as to who would be the best fit for the community.
Bach also said that interim Chief York has not applied for the police chief position, and York will be available to advise Bach on the selection.
York has been interim chief since former Police Chief Terry Zeigler retired on Sept. 11, 2019.
Bach said that 243 responses to community surveys showed that “improving community relations” was the top item that came up in what the community wants from a police chief.
The selection process for the new chief was slowed during 2020, according to Bach, as the UG changed its usual in-person process to hold virtual interviews and questionnaires. With COVID-19 they had to stop the process and then had to refocus their energies, Bach said.
The selection process was restarted, and there were meetings with community groups and Livable Neighborhoods on what the department was doing right, and areas where it could improve, he said. There also were meetings with police officers and staff.
A community task force on community relations with the police also weighed in during 2020 and had recommendations, according to Bach. During the “Facebook Live” program on Tuesday, York said that the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department about 20 years ago had already implemented the “Eight Can’t Wait” recommendations on policies, and the local department did not allow choke holds. York did make a few changes in policies in 2020, particularly in the duty to intervene policy. It was a matter of putting into writing what they already were doing.
Other topics discussed during the Tuesday program included additional mental health resources for officers, body-worn cameras and technology, efforts to employ more minorities and women at the Police Department, the Police Athletic League in reaching out to youth, and the community policing program in working with the community.
The program is online at https://www.facebook.com/cityofkck/videos/265434998468698.