Business Owners Weigh In as Kansas City Police Chief Search Opens to Public Input
The Kansas City Public Safety Coalition is collecting public input to help shape the search for the city’s next police chief, following Chief Stacey Graves’ announcement that she is stepping down.
Listening Sessions, Survey, and Roundtable Planned
The coalition is hosting five listening sessions across the metro, launching an online survey, and establishing a new faith leaders roundtable to gather community feedback before the Board of Police Commissioners makes its decision.
Melanie Mattes, the KC Chamber representative to the Kansas City Public Safety Coalition, emphasized the importance of diverse community voices in the process:
"We want to make sure as many community voices as possible are a part of the data and feedback that we are collecting... at their November 17th meeting."
Goals and Outreach
The coalition, consisting of 22 member organizations, is expanding its outreach efforts, including a new Faith Leaders Roundtable, to engage with youth-focused organizations. Mattes noted the Board of Police Commissioners' openness to this public input.
"This is important because the Chief of Police is one of the most critical leadership positions in our public safety ecosystem," she said. "Everyone wants a great Chief... who listens, who is visible, and who is open and honest."
She highlighted key qualities they seek: transparency and accountability.