We address this petition to the Wyandotte County (KCK) task force designed to tackle the racial disparities experienced by Black citizens at the hands of the KCK police department. Currently, the task force is made of the following members:
 
UG Commissioner Harold Johnson
Chief Micheal York - KCKPD
Wyandotte County Sheriff Don Nash
Rev. Tony Carter Jr. - Salem Missionary Baptist Church
Randy Lopez  -Wyandotte County Health Foundation, USD 500
Msgr. Stuart Swetland - Donnelly College, President
 
 
We, the Black community, are pleased to see that the Black Lives Matter movement has become the forefront of conversation in this country and even the world. We are pleased that these critical issues of the continuous racial disparities experienced by Black Americans in their home country is a trending topic. It is forcing all calls of action to make it clear where you stand on these reflections of our country’s history and modern struggles as it pertains to Black Americans. We firmly believe that if KCKPD truly believes that the well beings and lives of their black citizens’ should be valued and that there are true racial disparities and injustices that you as a entity of this country must assist with atoning for, then you will swiftly and diligently implement the following changes:
 
 
1. Defund the police by 15% and allocate funds to the following items:
 
- Allocate funds to support educational and economic programs for black citizens in the Wyandotte county community to increase land ownership, business ownership, local grocery stores, and modern trade skills for all black Wyandotte county citizens.
- Allocate funds to and provide support to community policing and advocacy programs for each KCKPD precinct.
- Allocate funds to social work programs and mental health advocacy programs that will provide trained social workers to be dispatched for 85% of domestic violence, sex crime, child abuse, and mental health or wellness calls per each KCKPD precinct.
 
2. Demilitarize KCKPD
 
- Remove all military grade weapons and artillery from KCKPD inventory.
 
3. Review and revise police tactics and requirements when interacting with citizens and non-citizens; insist on the following:
 
- Mandate the use of body cams while on duty. Any failure to comply with body cam mandate will result in immediate termination.
- All police officials will be granted whistleblower protections.
 
4. Review and revise all police tactical training and insist on the following:
 
- A failure to comply with revised police tactical training will result in immediate suspension without pay while case is reviewed. If police officer is at fault, the case will be presented for prosecution. If a grievance is filed during the grievance or arbitration process the police officer must remain without pay until the arbitration process is concluded.
- Eliminate fatal restraint tactics such as the chokehold.
- Any assault committed by a police officer on a citizen in handcuffs results in immediate suspension without pay while case is reviewed. If police officer is at fault, the case will be presented for prosecution. If a grievance is filed during the grievance or arbitration process, the police officer must remain without pay until the arbitration process is concluded.
 
5. Mandate “Fit to Police” standards:
 
- Mandatory standards and guidelines must be created to ensure a citizen is fit to police.
- Police officer may be terminated if he/she fails to meet the “Fit to Police” standards.
- If you have more than 6 official and validated assault complaints in a 12 month period you will not be considered as “fit to police”.
- If you have more than two arrests for domestic abuse in a 3 year period you will not be considered as “fit to police”.
- If you have more than two arrests for assault in a 2 year period you will not be considered as “fit to police”.
 
6. Mandate transparent and quarterly audits for KCKPD:
 
- Outside audit agency must be selected by a 10 person board each year (Accountability Board), consisting of 50% citizens and 50% community and police officials. Selection and voting decisions must be made public record each year.
- Quarterly audits and reports must be made public each quarter that track police complaints and complaint responsiveness.
- Quarterly audits and reports must track all police involved shootings in Wyandotte County area or by Wyandotte County police officers.
- Quarterly audits and reports must track all police involved assaults in Wyandotte County or by Wyandotte County police officers.
- All audits and reports must be designed to measure racial disparities.
 
7. Adhere to an Accountability Board:
 
- The board must review quarterly reports annually to conduct audits and independent investigations into all police involved shootings and assaults in Wyandotte County.
- The board must appoint two seats to Wyandotte County citizens that are of the same gender, race, and age demographic of those who are placed at the highest risk for police brutality or abuse: Black male, age 18-35.
- The board must have the power to mandate termination or resignation of any violating police official.
- Accountability Board is the overseer of all police complaints communicated to the KCKPD
 
 
·       The original demands mentioned above was authored by J’Hlesa N. Richardson and supported by all signers of this petition. For further instructions, contact the original author at: kckreform@gmail.com