KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first time we’re hearing publicly from KCPD Police Chief Darryl Forte about the accusations that African-American youth have been unfairly targeted for curfew violations.
Earlier this month, councilman Jermaine Reed said not only did police target black teens, but that police focused curfew enforcement on the Country Club Plaza.
Numbers released by Chief Forte showed that 90 percent of the curfew violation citations were issued to black teens, which councilman Reed found alarming. However, Chief Forte told a city council committee on Wednesday morning that his officers have not singled anyone out.
“We put our resources where we have the problems. So if you look at the footage or spend time down there, that’s where we have the problem and it’s a public safety issue,”
After hearing the Chief’s report, councilman Reed said the numbers clearly don’t take everything into account, and that the issue is worth diving deeper into.
Currently the council is discussing revisions to the curfew, which could include changing times and making the ordinance more uniform among ages. Chief Forte has been asked to join in that discussion.