As President of the Police Foundation of Kansas City and 30+ years working in the criminal justice system within the Kansas City area, I’m often asked a simple yet profound question: how do we make Kansas City safer? While opinions vary, one thing is clear—understanding how our criminal justice systems operate is critical to finding real solutions. Without this, it’s difficult to discuss meaningful solutions. When people say that Kansas City has a violent crime problem, what they likely mean is that Jackson County has a violent crime problem, and here’s what I mean by that.
Kansas City, Missouri, spans parts of four different counties, which means the Kansas City Police Department and the city work across four separate political entities. This includes four different county prosecutors, juvenile systems, groups of judges, and county jail systems. These (sometimes) elected officials control key decisions—who gets prosecuted for violent crimes, for property crimes, what charges are filed, bond amounts, who receives probation, jail capacity, and the effectiveness of programs intended to prevent crime or provide accountability.
In addition to the four counties, a fifth entity is the city itself. The city handles lower-level offenses through its ordinances and municipal court system. These offenses include things like minor thefts, simple assaults, disorderly conduct and traffic violations. Counties handle the more serious crimes—homicides, aggravated assaults, robberies, sexual assaults and auto thefts. This distinction between city and county responsibilities is essential to understanding how the prevention, intervention and accountability of crime is managed across Kansas City.
So, does Kansas City have a crime problem? Let’s look at the data. In the last 4.5 years, as of late August, there have been 796 homicides in Kansas City. Of these, 767 occurred in Jackson County, representing over 96%. In other words, 29 of the 796 homicides took place in the northern portions of Kansas City.
Between January and August of this year, there were 420 shooting victims in Kansas City. Of these 420 shootings, 11 occurred within Clay and Platte Counties, while the other 409—more than 97%—were in Jackson County. This trend is consistent across violent crimes, with over 91% of Kansas City robberies happening in Jackson County. During the same period, there were 4,369 stolen autos reported in Jackson County compared to 542 in Clay and Platte Counties. (Cass County numbers have been excluded.)
The reality is clear: the vast majority of Kansas City’s crime challenges are concentrated in Jackson County. Acknowledging this allows us to better focus our resources and discussions where they are most needed, rather than suggesting that all areas of the city face the same level of violent crime.
Understanding these distinctions is critical, particularly when it comes to how criminals are offered rehabilitation programs or held accountable depending on where their crimes are committed. The Kansas City Police Department works with these five different entities as they investigate and arrests individuals involved in crimes.
Under Missouri law, law enforcement can detain and hold an individual for up to 24 hours to allow the county to determine if charges will be filed. If no charges are filed within this time period, the person must be released. Each county has its own processes for making these decisions, impacting how cases are handled and who remains in custody.
Counties are also responsible for housing arrested individuals charged with crimes within their jurisdiction, until they go to court. This may take years before a case is adjudicated. The size, scope and availability of county and city jail facilities become crucial parts of the conversation, as overcrowded or underfunded jails affect the entire system. Each county must manage its own facilities, and each faces unique challenges. (I’ll dive deeper into this topic in Part Two of this series.)
Ultimately, everyone wants to feel safe—whether it’s our citizens, visitors, businesses or law enforcement officers. The neighborhoods most affected by crime are desperate for solutions, but crime impacts all of us in some way. Before we can make meaningful progress, we must understand how our systems work and where the biggest challenges lie. Only then can we move toward real solutions for a safer Kansas City.
President & CEO, Police Foundation of Kansas City
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