Kansas City Police targeted minority neighborhoods to meet illegal ticket quotas, lawsuit says

[Nevilledog]

https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-03-23/kansas-city-police-targeted-minority-neighborhoods-to-meet-illegal-ticket-quotas-lawsuit-says

The lawsuit filed by a KCPD officer places blame for quotas and racist patrol tactics on former Chief Rick Smith. Current Chief Stacey Graves says she will remind traffic division to “operate and enforce laws appropriately.”

Kansas City Police leaders allegedly ordered officers to target minority neighborhoods to meet ticket quotas — telling them to be “ready to kill everybody in the car” — and to only respond to calls for help in white neighborhoods.

Edward Williams, a 44-year-old white KCPD officer and 21-year veteran of the force, filed a discrimination lawsuit in Jackson County Court this week including those and other allegations. Williams said he’s faced retaliation because he’s been a whistleblower, is disabled and is over 40.

Williams’s suit said that contrary to Missouri law, KCPD “continuously and repeatedly” told officers that if they didn’t meet their ticket quotas they would be kicked out of the traffic unit and sent to “dogwatch,” an unpopular overnight shift typically worked by those with low seniority.

“This directive came straight from the then-Chief of Police Richard Smith,” he alleged in the suit.

*snip*


Another example of systemic racism.

[LoisB]

1. Oh, I am just so shocked that "minority" neighborhoods were targeted.