Kansas City Police Department history

Lafayette Tillman, who joined the force in 1902.

In 1907, KCPD divided the city into patrol districts.

Maps and figures showing crime information, specifically pointing out saloon locations and police stations and courts in 1913.

Article with a graph, chart, and map to illustrate the restructuring of the police department to improve its efficiency, the map showing density of auto thefts in 1928.

In 1930, Carter became KCPD’s first Black sergeant.

In 1932 the police department came under local control for the first time during the Pendergast era.

The big advancement in communication by the Kansas City Police Department was in September, 1935, when two-way radios were installed in the first twelve patrol cars.

As KC grew, so did the number of Black officers, as indicated in this circa 1938 photo of Black police officers on the steps of city hall.

In 1939, Missouri Attorney General Roy McKeltside came down hard on the corruption generated by the Pendergast Political Machine.

In 1945, Allen became KCPD’s first unofficial Black policewoman.

DeGraffenreid joined the police force in 1948 and is credited for changing the rule that prohibited Black officers from arresting White people.

Brooks entered the KCPD cadet class in 1954, where he was the only Black cadet out of 29 in his class.

In 1956, he was promoted to lieutenant and named administrative aide to the police chief, the highest administrative rank held by a Black officer up to that time.

Jordan served in the Missouri Legislature in 1964 and helped create the Black political group Freedom Inc.

Bryant was appointed to the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners in 1965, and is likely the first Black male to be on the board, according to the Kansas City Police Historical Society.

In 1967, Brauninger-Stovall graduated from the police academy and was among six female officers appointed to KCPD in that year.

Shipley became KCPD’s first Black Chaplain in 1970.

She graduated from the police academy in 1976 and became an officer the same year.

In 1993, she became the first Black female captain to head the homicide unit.

Funding for the $25.5 million academy comes from a quarter-cent sales tax approved by Kansas City voters in 2002.