The KC CALL

Eeny Meeny Miny Moe

By Eric L. Wesson Sr. Managing Editor THE CALL

Kansas Citians are encouraged to attend a open forum concerning the three finalist one of which will become Kansas City’s next Chief of Police.

The forum will be held on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Mohart Center, 3200 Wayne Ave. in Kansas City, MO 64109, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

The search firm hired by the Board Of Police Commissioners received submissions from 21 individuals during the sixweek period the Police Chief position was posted.

It is unclear where exactly the job opening was posted

Two of the applicants withdrew early in the process. The initial pool included 11 applicants who were people of color or women – more than 50 percent of the applicant pool.

The board recently interviewed several candidates.

The process was quite intense as members of the community, Civil Rights organizations, the Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Chamber of Commence, the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, the Divine Nine Black fraternities and sororities and religious groups all cried foul over the lack of transparency exhibited by the Board during the entire process after the community meetings.

Ms. Gwen Grant, president of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City was one of those voices.

“The BOPC’s blatant lack of respect for the hundreds of residents across all sectors of this city who expressed our desire for transparency throughout the search for the new Chief is unconscionable,” she said.

“Their tone-deaf behavior continues to make the case that Kansas City needs local control of the Kansas City Police Department. The search process has not been transparent. We have not received any substantive information about how the community can authentically vet the candidates.”

“This is highly problematic in view of the fact that Board President Tolbert told the Urban Summit that the BOPC would reopen the search for a new Chief if the community found the finalists to be unacceptable. Without an opportunity to thoroughly interview the candidates and review their resumes, it is impossible for the community to make a fair and objective assessment of their capacity to lead this police department. Absent an authentic community engagement process, Bishop Tolbert’s promise was disingenuous,”

Ms. Grant said.

Prior to the search, listening sessions were held across the metropolitan area. Information was collected and shared with the Chamber which was then shared with the Board.

It is unknown what the Board did with the information theat was forwarded to them from the community.

Leaders of the Kansas City Public Safety Coalition also said they were disappointed with the process choosing the city’s next Police Chief. Pastor Edwards was one of the leaders who helped organize the listening sessions.

“We wanted to make sure every part of the city was represented,” Pastor Darron Edwards, organizer of the Kansas City Public Safety Coalition, said. “That won’t happen this Saturday.”

“They wanted a boss who was approachable when they went to the supermarket. They wanted a boss who could communicate with Kansas City and the media,” Pastor Edwards said.

“They wanted an employee who would work with both the city government and the prosecutor’s office. They wanted a leader who would be tough on crime and speak out on the issues affecting Kansas City,” Pastor Edwards said.

In a statement, the coalition expressed its concerns about the hiring process.

“We are incredibly disappointed with the process announced by the Board of Police Commissioners to select the next Kansas City, Missouri Police Commissioner. There will apparently only be one community engagement session.”

“Coalition members are unhappy that only one session will be held in one part of the city. Coalition members from Northland, South Kansas City and the West Side were particularly concerned that their neighborhoods would not be included in the process of hiring someone for one of the most important jobs in our community.”

“Our seven listening sessions and two online surveys have shown that citizens see community engagement and transparency as the most important qualities they want in a new Police Chief. Unfortunately, the continued engagement of the community in this process is severely limited by the BOPC decision to provide only one opportunity to hear from the three finalists.”

According to the Board these are the three finalists.

DeShawn Beaufort Inspector - Philadelphia Police Department, PA Inspector DeShawn Beaufort is a 25-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department. Inspector Beaufort manages the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center and Fusion Center in his current role. He is the point of contact for regional partners, including other fusion centers that review threats and potential hazards. In addition, Beaufort sets the vision and deployment strategies to improve community safety across a twelve-county and four-state metropolitan area. Beaufort previously led the department’s largest patrol division, with 317,674 residents living in four patrol districts. He had oversight of more than 750 sworn personnel and 180 civilians. Beaufort also served in other managerial roles working in Internal Affairs and leading the Northwest Patrol Division. He also has experience in narcotics, neighborhood policing, robbery, and the tactical team. Inspector Beaufort holds an M.B.A. from Holy Family University

and a bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership from Eastern University. He graduated from the FBI National Academy and Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command.

Reports indicate that Beautfort, 44, had been on the shortlist of candidates to become the next chief of the Miami Police department.

He was recently transferred out of the Internal Affairs Bureau due to a complaint connected to a “road rage” incident and demoted.

However, the incident may have been over played by the Department and the local media since the alleged victim was charged with making terroristic threats among other things.

He is very familiar with distrust between the Police department and the community, which is what made him a prime candidate for the position in Miami, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

While applying for the job as chief of the Miami Police Department — which later went to then-Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo — Beaufort in January described policing as “at a precipice,” according to the Miami Times.

“It has to change,” Beaufort said during a January forum involving the eight finalists, “and we have to be held more accountable, and holding ourselves more accountable as an agency.”

Scott Ebner - Lieutenant Colonel (ret.) - New Jersey

State Police Lieutenant Colonel (ret.) Scott Ebner had a 27-year policing career with the New Jersey State Police serving in several executive-level roles, including Chief of Staff, Deputy Superintendent of Investigations, Director for the State of New Jersey Fusion Center, the Regional Operations Intelligence Center, and Administration Branch Commander. Other assignments include oversight for the State Police Academy, including providing instruction for members and leaders on various leadership topics. Ebner managed the central region of the State Police’s uniformed patrol division (575 employees serving 26 municipalities where the NJSP provides police services). Before leading patrol, he was the internal affairs commander and had detective assignments in the criminal investigation office. Lieutenant Colonel Ebner holds a master’s degree in human resources management, training, and development and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. In addition, he graduated from the FBI National Academy and the Executive Leaders Program sponsored by the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Post Graduate School.

He doesn’t come without controversy.

He was accused of racial profiling in a New York Times article involving Ms. Patricia A. Hurt, the Essex County prosecutor and one of the top black law-enforcement officials in New Jersey.

Reports indicated that Ebner pulled them over even though she was in a government vehicle and other passengers were minority as well.

Nothing ever became of the allegations.

Ebner also applied for Aurora Colorado Police Chief and several months ago he was a finalist for the Chief of Police position in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Stacey Graves Acting Deputy Chief Kansas City Police Department, MO Recently appointed Acting Deputy Chief Stacey Graves has more than 25 years of experience serving in the Kansas City Missouri Police Department (KCPD).

Graves commands the Patrol Bureau and oversees all six patrol division stations and the traffic and special operations divisions. The Patrol Bureau has 918 sworn and 109 non-sworn positions. As a major, Graves managed the Shoal Creek Patrol Division (109,213 residents and over 74.6 miles, with 78 personnel).

She led the Human Resources Division during KCPD’s pandemic response. She was the Patrol Bureau’s Executive Officer before being named the Acting Deputy Chief earlier this month. Graves has experience in Patrol, Media and Internal Affairs. Other assignments include the Target-Oriented Policing Squad (TOPS), Career Criminal Squad, the Drug Enforcement Unit, and patrol. Acting Deputy Chief Graves began her career with the KCPD as a Records Clerk in 1997. Graves has an Executive Master of Business Administration from Benedictine College and earned a B.A. in Administration of Justice from the University of Missouri Kansas City.

The question that many CALL readers have asked is whether or not she will be able to change the culture in the Department that has a wedge driven between the Black community and KCPD?

One CALL reader put it bluntly, “This will not be our Chief of Police, but the Governor’s Chief of Police. We will just be the ones paying him or her.”

St. Louis is looking for a new Chief of Police as well. The search process was much different that Kansas City’s. They have local control.

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