This December, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves will close out more than 29 years of service with the Kansas City Police Department, four of them leading it as Chief. Under her tenure, KCPD has strengthened its relationships with the community, embraced new technology, driven down crime, and moved forward in ways that will outlast any single leader.

We sat down with the Chief to reflect on her career, her decision to retire, and the department she is entrusting to the next generation of leaders. In her own words:

 

What made this feel like the right time to retire?

In December of this year, I will have completed 29+ years at KCPD and served as the Chief of Police for 4 (of those) years.  Serving as the Chief of Police at KCPD has been the honor of a lifetime. During my tenure, we have achieved a great deal together. I am proud of our accomplishments and advancements in relationship building, embracing technology, crime reductions, and moving our department forward in many positive, professional, and progressive ways.

 

What are you most proud of from your time as Chief?

I am proud to support and be the voice for the men and women of KCPD, who choose to serve every day. Each day, I worked to ensure our members are valued and supported, both internally and externally, and Kansas City is safer as a result. Under my tenure, we have worked to be great collaborators, embraced technology, welcomed the new generation of police officers, stepped in to new uniforms, and initiated innovative ways to increase our effectiveness in modern day policing.  

 

What do you want people to understand about your decision to retire?

I have served with all my heart and soul, 100%. I have been present and engaged every day of my tenure as Chief of Police.  I am so proud of what our KCPD team has accomplished together during my tenure as Chief of Police. When I was named KCPD’s Chief of Police, I had many goals in continuing to professionalize our department, garner support for the service KCPD provides, and advance our organization in many ways – and just like that, we accomplished so much! I am proud of the leadership I have provided the men and women of this department, and our city. I will always love KCPD but it’s time to pass the baton, with the expectation my successor will continue to bring our department forward, in positive and meaningful ways! It is truly bittersweet, but it’s the right time and a blessing to end my career on a high note.

 

What gives you confidence in the future of KCPD?

KCPD is full of strong, accomplished leaders who have successfully navigated large scale events, and embraced modern policing principles and advancements. Our department is set and ready to walk through any task, adversity, or large-scale event successfully. There are leaders behind me that are poised and ready to take this great department onward and upward! They have solid relationships with the people we serve, collaborate with the best interests of all in mind, and are dedicated to the betterment and safety of Kansas City.

 

What will you miss most about serving Kansas City?

The people. The camaraderie. The purpose.

I have proudly lived a life of service to the city I grew up in – and I don’t regret one minute of it!  I will whole heartedly miss it, even getting through the tough days. I have had the privilege to see humanity at its best and its worst. And on the worst days, I had a front row seat to seeing strangers help one another without hesitation, sometimes at their own personal risks. I will miss being part of the team of helpful heroes, as one of America’s first responders.

 

What are you most looking forward to in retirement?

While I don’t think you ever stop being a “cop” when you retire, I am looking forward to being “off-duty” full-time. Our identity is largely associated with a career in law enforcement. We all dress the same every day, we have a deep understanding of the sacrifice in being a police officer, and share an unbreakable bond. I look forward to reintroducing myself to myself, outside of law enforcement. I am excited to find out what God has planned for me in my next chapter. Even in retirement, I will always support law enforcement and first responders.

 

We heard you say to a group recently that you weren’t sure they understood what an amazing police department they have in Kansas City. Can you expand on this?

I believe every American should go on at least one ride-along with a police officer, preferably in a major city, and see what they experience each day. One minute you are deescalating a dangerous situation, the next comforting a child, helping someone on the side of the road, connecting someone to desperately needed resources, to taking an armed person into custody after a violent encounter – all in one shift. The men and women of KCPD are good humans, helping fellow Kansas City humans with whatever problem they present every day and night, often solving problems that are not law enforcement related. We show up ready to help. We continue to embrace new and innovative ways in policing to provide a better service – and we enjoy answering the call to do it! I see the great police work here at KCPD, and I wish everyone could too. While I am aware of the professional caliber of men and women that make up KCPD, I am still in awe of what they can accomplish. Policing is a noble profession and the people of KCPD exemplify that. You have a great police force full of people (at KCPD) who care and are invested in a healthier and safer Kansas City.

 

Safe communities, safe schools, safe places to work and build a business, it’s the foundation a thriving Kansas City is built on, and it’s the daily work of the men and women Chief Stacey Graves leaves behind. Kansas City is safer, stronger, and better led because of her decades of service. She leaves behind a department she describes as “set and ready”, full of leaders prepared to carry its momentum onward and upward. The Police Foundation of Kansas City is grateful for her leadership, and, like her, confident in the future of KCPD and the men and women who serve it every day.