Anti Crime Committee forwards nearly $4 million KCPD combat agreement after budget briefing

At an Anti Crime Committee meeting, members voted to recommend a resolution that would authorize the prosecuting attorney to execute an agreement with the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners to provide up to $3,982,251 in Jackson County "combat" funds to the Kansas City Police Department for anti-crime and anti-drug programs.

Major Josh Hynan, fiscal major for the Kansas City Police Department, presented the department's 2025 combat budget request and described how the funds are used across divisions. "We have an analyst embedded in every one of our homicide squads now," Hynan said, adding that the department's homicide clearance rates are "hovering about 75%," which he contrasted with what he said is a national average near 45%.

Hynan outlined program uses covered by the request: community engagement officers’ phones and outreach; undercover and leased vehicles for Special Investigations; equipment for Special Operations (including tactical response and bomb/arson K9 support); an analyst position embedded with the violent-crimes and homicide squads via a public-private partnership; and crime-lab technicians who process firearms and narcotics evidence. He listed recent metrics, saying the violent-crimes division had assigned 5,838 cases, Special Investigations recovered 297 firearms and 6,508 pounds of narcotics, the crime lab worked 840 forensic cases, and Police Athletic League activities drew about 12,500 visits.

Committee members pressed for specifics about community training and victim services. A member asked whether community engagement officers deliver block-watch or crime-prevention training; Hynan said the division conducts block-watch and CPTED assessments and coordinates with businesses and residents. On domestic violence, Hynan said combat funds helped pay for an analyst who works with the special victims unit and that the department obtained a new grant this year to support domestic-violence victim services.

Much of the discussion focused on documentation in the legislative packet. Legislator Smith said the agreement attached to the packet lists $3,421,616 (a 2024 figure) while the resolution requests $3,982,000 for 2025, and told staff: "I don't feel comfortable supporting something that I don't have the actual documentation of what's actually happening." A staff member replied that the packet included last year's signed agreement for reference and that a 2025 agreement reflecting the $3,982,000 figure would be drafted and signed after committee approval, explaining that the department's allocation is based on the percentage of the anti-crime tax.

Members also questioned why a contract dated August 2024 bore a signature from a prosecutor who was not in office during the contract term; staff said the signed copy was likely provided for reference and that a current prosecutor may sign to effectuate the contract for overlapping time periods. Committee members agreed the 2024 agreement's presence in the packet caused confusion and asked staff to prepare a 2025 agreement consistent with the resolution.

A committee member moved to advance the resolution and another seconded. The committee voted to recommend adoption and forwarded the resolution for legislative consideration on Feb. 20 (the year shown in the transcript appears to be a clerical error in the packet). The committee recorded more affirmative votes than negative and the recommendation will go to the full legislative body for final approval.

The committee asked staff to distribute Major Hynan's presentation slides to members. The meeting was then adjourned.