TKC BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE NEWS!!! KANSAS CITY 5TH DISTRICT COUNCIL LADY ALISSIA CANADY APOLOGIZES TO THOSE OFFENDED BY TOWING CONFRONTATION AND PROMISES MORE CONVERSATION ON POLICE POLICIES AND PRACTICES!!!

After some contemplation following a Kansas City media firestorm and an even worse rain storm last night, an embattled Kansas City Council Lady shares this EXCLUSIVE AND BREAKING NEWS NOTE with our blog community that offers an essential perspective.

To wit . . .

CHECK THIS KICK-ASS NOTE FROM 5TH DISTRICT COUNCIL LADY ALISSIA CANADY IN THE AFTERMATH OF A KANSAS CITY POLICE TOWING CONFROTNATION!!!

Like it or not, this consideration of the events shows that she's nothing less than forthright in dealing with the controversy in WRITTEN detail that promises more community discussion.

Checkit:

RE: Media about towing incident

Colleagues,

I've gained a lot of perspective in the last 24 hours. While I've been focused on increasing local workforce, creating affordable housing options, and sustaining vibrant neighborhoods; I neglected to renew my license plates which resulted in an encounter with law enforcement. My apologies to anyone that might be offended by this situation or the encounter. However this was a reminder of the importance of not only following the law, but also knowing the law and how issues can be exaggerated.

All laws apply to me as a citizen of KC, and I expect to be treated fairly in every instance. However what happens when there's an inconsistency in how citizens are treated? What happens to those that aren't knowledgeable of the law?

My recent experience shed light on a number of issues when dealing with law enforcement and the media. I quickly realized there is a lot of work to be done on this front and I will continue to create transparency and fairness in issues that impact my constituents. For example, is it reasonable to incur a towing expense for an infraction that typically calls for a ticket? What is the economic impact to residents? Who benefits from these policies? Is it reasonable for policies to be more aggressive for parking control than patrol officers? I don't have the answer to these questions yet, but I can imagine this is the beginning a series of conversations to educate myself and others on policing policies and practices in our community.

As always, my commitment to KC residents is my priority and I will remain focused on the work that matters to make this a better, safer city for all of us.

I welcome your comments or questions on this issue.

Alissia
###############

Links:

KCTV5 Broke The Story: Kansas City councilwoman faces off with police officers trying to tow her car

Fox4 Aftermath: Kansas City councilwoman has faceoff with police over towing her car for expired tags

On a personal note, most politicos would've sped away from this controversy but this open letter reflects that she's taking this news story head on in order to discuss issues surrounding the conflict and the leaders of our blog community respect as much.

You decide . . .