Mad Max city goes from bad to worse as struggling police department is hit with budget cuts
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A Missouri city plagued by surging crime and an already struggling police force has been hit with budget cuts.
Kansas City has made headlines recently comparing the area to the Mad Max film franchise due to a number of street-racing gangs that are terrorizing locals.
On Wednesday, officials said that a number of recent lawsuit settlements means that budgets for the police department are being slashed.
Two recent federal lawsuits have been settled for over $18 million, according to KMBC, with the department only putting aside $3.5 million to fund the suits.
Cuts are having to be made to make up the $14.6 million shortfall in finances, that has to be made out over the next four years.
Police Chief Stacey Graves said: 'We're just going to have to make cuts. This is what you do. You know, you come across some of these situations.
'You know, this last lawsuit was large, and it was something that had occurred decades ago.'
The department was ordered to pay out $14 million to Ricky Kidd who spent 23 years behind bars for the wrongful conviction of a 1996 double murder. Another $4.1 million went to the family of Cameron Lamb, who was shot and killed by a local detective in 2019.
The cuts come amid an active push by the police department to bring more officers into their ranks.
They have just graduated six call takers to help with 911 emergencies, which the outlet reports has long suffered with high wait times.
The need for more officers comes after terrified residents complained the downtown area has become a hotspot for illegal street racing and reckless ATV and dirt bike riders ripping through neighborhoods.
Speaking at a public Board of Police Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, local man Frank Sereno said he was concerned about the levels of crime.
According to KMBC, he said: 'Property crimes, stolen vehicles, teens running through the neighborhood, armed, shooting firearms'.
'These are not innocent petty crimes. These are very violent individuals who are out to do harm to us. And we're tired of it happening,' he added.
Homicide is up in the city 14.5 percent from the same time last year. Chief Graves said at the meeting that overall there had been a 10 percent reduction in 'most crimes'.
She added: 'Now, that's not saying that what someone's experiencing in their neighborhood is their perception.'
'And we want to make sure that we not only work on those numbers and get them down but also work on the perception of crime and be in areas to make sure that people feel safe.'
Business owners have also been left weighing up whether to abandon the area altogether, pointing the finger at Democratic mayor Quinton Lucas and law enforcement.
'This isn't a race issue, this isn't a political issue, this is a safety issue,' David Lopez, a local business owner, told Fox News, noting how chaos right outside is a constant occurrence, posing extreme danger for the surrounding community.
'I feel as though this city is about unsafe as it's been since my family has been at 207 Southwest Boulevard, and that's 45 years this September,' he added.
'When things out of your control start to chip away at the very foundation of what you've done for four generations, it hurts.'
Not only is the community feeling the impact as they return to the safety of their own homes by nightfall, but long-standing local businesses are bearing the brunt - watching foot traffic vanish and revenue slip away.
'People are going to leave - that's it,' Lopez, the general manager at Manny's Mexican Restaurant, added to the outlet.
'At 8pm on a Saturday, we used to be getting our third turn, but now at 8pm, I cut three serves, a bartender and three kitchen staff,' he continued.
Bradley Gilmore, owner of Lula's Southern Cookhouse, agreed, explaining how he's personally watched crime rise and police presence disappear right outside his business.
While he once supported downtown revitalization efforts, such as the 670 Park and downtown baseball, his support - like the city's police - is quickly fading.
'It's incredibly disappointing to witness the continued lack of police presence and response in our neighborhood,' Gilmore told Fox News.
'It's becoming increasingly difficult to back these large-scale projects when the basic needs of safety and accessibility are being ignored.'
Last month, the issue was thrust even further into public view when a reckless ATV rider slammed into a police officer in downtown Kansas City, leaving the cop briefly hospitalized with severe head injuries, The Kansas City Star reported.
An officer attempted to haul a tire deflation device at the vehicle, with the ultimate goal of apprehending the driver once the ATV was stationary.
However, the driver reversed, popped the ATV into a wheelie, and lifted its front tires off the ground - striking the officer in the process - before driving over him and fleeing the scene, The Kansas City Star reported.
Kendall Coleman, 27, was eventually arrested and charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and aggravated fleeing a stop or detention, according to KSHB News.
Marc Coleman, Kendall's 49-year-old father, was also arrested after the incident on a hindering prosecution charge.
According to court documents obtained by KSHB, Marc allegedly drove his son to Colorado Springs after the incident - an apparent attempt to help him evade law enforcement.
Speaking with DailyMail.com earlier this month, Mayor Lucas slammed the gangs, but rejected claims he's responsible for the city's collapse.
Lucas said the problem was under control, that Kansas City could 'handle this moment' and that a police recruitment drive would get more officers on the streets in the coming months.
'More than anything, we need to make sure that there are real consequences for those who are engaging in reckless and foolish behavior in downtown Kansas City and all around our community', he added.
'I have great confidence in the city being able to handle this moment and many others,' said the mayor, who lives in a four-bedroom, $500,000 home.
'I know other American cities are confronting at these traffic issues, street racing and beyond, I think we need serious enforcement for all of them, and I think that's what we will continue to see.'
