Veteran Kansas City officer chosen to lead police department

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 25-year veteran was chosen Thursday to lead the Kansas City police department, which is embroiled in internal and external controversies.

The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners chose Stacey Graves, the current acting deputy chief, making her the first woman to become the permanent police chief in the department's nearly 150-year history. Two other women have served as interim chiefs.

Graves takes over a department under federal investigation for possible racial discrimination in its hiring practices. And the board of commissioners announced this week that it will hire an outside investigator to examine a former city attorney's whistleblower complaint that the department hid criminal case evidence and denied public records requests.

That comes after years of complaints from civil rights groups about officer misconduct and the department's often secretive handling of excessive force complaints, leading to a strained relationship with the public in a city where about 28% of its 508,000 residents are Black.

The department also faces a shortage of officers at a time when Kansas City has a high rate of violent crime and homicides.

Graves replaces Joseph Mabin, who was appointed interim police chief when the embattled former chief, Rick Smith, left the department amid controversy in April 2021.

Graves said during a news conference that one of her first steps as chief will be to build bridges so the department, city leaders and community members can work together to make Kansas City safe.

She also promised the department will be “an open book” while dealing with the U.S. Department of Justice investigation and other issues.

“I will be that front-facing communicator that this city wants and needs,” Graves said. “If there's something that we're...