TKC MUST READ!!! KANSAS CITY POLICE CHIEF ARGUES FOR RANK AND FILE PAY RAISE AMID RECENT CUTBACKS, MORE CITY HALL EMPLOYEE SPENDING AND INCREASED ATTACKS AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT!!!

Just now, Kansas City's top cop published a request for more cash to fund the employees of the KCPD.

This ask is controversial given that critics constantly question a high percentage of City Hall funds directed to public safety. However, focusing strictly on funding for the rank and file puts the issue into perspective for men and women who put their lives on the line every day.

Question for tonight . . .

DO YOU SUPPORT SALARY INCREASES FOR THE KCPD AMID GREATER CITY HALL SPENDING AND THE RISE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST POLICE THIS YEAR???

It's an important question and we're linking and posting the words of the Chief in order to offer a place for discussion at Kansas City's last free speech zone dedicated to the local discourse and not social media triviality.

KCPD Chief Forté: Police deserve same raises as employees of other City services

We are always working to make the Kansas City Missouri Police Department a first-class law enforcement agency with members of the highest quality to serve the people of our community. I want to ensure our department recruits and retains public servants of the highest caliber who reflect the make-up of our city.

Numerous things have made that more difficult in recent years: the increased scrutiny police are under nationwide, the increased danger they are facing (officers killed by firearms so far this year are up 47 percent compared to this date last year), and issues of morale and pay.

As I wrote here earlier this year, we have eliminated more than 100 law enforcement and 100 non-sworn positions to stay within our budget. Despite these efforts to ensure police are not taking an outsize portion of the City budget, it appears the police department is slated to receive the lowest raises of any City services over the next three years.

in the City’s Five-Year Citywide Business Plan, which Council Members are set to vote on Thursday, employees of all other City services are slated to receive raises ranging from 2.5 to 4.7 percent each of the next three years. During that time, KCPD members are only set to receive 2 percent raises each year. The members of our department deserve equal pay treatment with the employees of other City services. The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners adopted a resolution stating the need for this parity in 2011.

The Olathe, Kansas, Police Department conducted a police compensation analysis in May of this year, comparing the salaries and benefits of area public safety departments. That showed KCPD officers had the highest starting salary in the metro area, but we fell to 10th place out of the 12 agencies compared for officers who had reached their top pay step.

In an urban environment with high workloads, significant violent crime and intensive scrutiny, it can be difficult enough to retain high-quality officers and non-sworn staff. A financial plan that does not value police employees as much as employees of other City services has the potential to negatively impact police morale and employee retention.

To continue to serve our city with the highest-quality employees, I support KCPD members receiving annual salary increases on par with those in City services.
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You decide . . .