In late September, the Kansas City City Council gave the green light to 16 million dollars to finance a temporary jail at police headquarters downtown.

But, according to a recent letter Police Chief Stacey Graves sent to Mayor Quinton Lucas, City Manager Brian Platt, City Council members and members of the Board of Police Commissioners, that plan is not so solid. (or it is written in stone) as the officials did. seems.

The legislation was passed quickly and was the agency’s response to months of public debate. Protest over waves of property crimes and continued gun violence.

the plan proposes convert KCPD’s eighth floor into a detention center and central booking and detention center, with construction beginning early next year so it can open in 2026. The 24-hour facility would have space for 144 people, including 55 beds to spend the night. As KCPD Maj. Josh Heinen told council members in September, the department needs a short-term detention center with greater capacity to provide “the first consequences of arrests.”

But the letter obtained by KCUR lists several potential challenges identified by SFS Architecture, a local firm, in the project’s final study summary. Graves asks officials to consider a different plan.

“In reviewing the full project summary, I am concerned that the project location, setbacks and costs will delay the project completion date in the future,” Graves stated in the Oct. 28 letter. “I believe this community, the city and the Police Department should consider alternative locations for this project to mitigate these challenges.”

A spokesperson for Mayor Quinton Lucas said the city respects the voice of KCPD command staff, “but decisions regarding detention center placement rest solely with the City Council.”

“The City Council has chosen to place the detention and release of inmates in the Police Headquarters building, where until 2015 it resided for 77 years,” spokeswoman Jazzlyn Johnson said in an emailed statement.

Council member Johnathan Duncan, who represents the 6th District, said the letter leaves him with more questions about the process.

“I think the city council should know better if we’re going to spend this kind of money without a lot of information,” said Duncan, who was the only one to vote against the eighth-floor jail proposal. “Rushing to spend $16 million seems reckless. “It really doesn’t seem like we are being good stewards of the precious taxpayer dollars we have.”

Timeline Questions

City staff anticipated a projected construction start date of late 2025. Construction would last 16 months.

In committee discussions, Lucas and 3rd Ward Councilwoman Melissa Robinson asked if the facility could be completed sooner, which also garnered support from 5th At-Large Ward Councilmember Darrell Curls.

“Is there any circumstance where we can do this in half the timeline you provided?” Robinson asked city staff.

The city employee said, “I think so,” and said the city could select a contractor who can quickly complete the project.

In Graves’ letter, he said the facilities in the current plan would not be completed before Kansas City hosts FIFA World Cup matches in the summer of 2026. There was no public discussion on the council about finishing the facilities at that time. moment.

Council members were told construction could cost more than $18 million, $2 million more than the city allocated.

Additionally, contractors would need to reinforce a raised floor to support the weight of the construction. The study also found that there is no space to place construction equipment and materials.

The seventh floor of KCPD headquarters is currently occupied, so construction would have to be done in phases and staff would need to be relocated. The plan would also require space in the basement, forcing KCPD to move files and equipment stored there. The temporary booking and holding center also requires more staff and it is unclear how much it will cost to operate.

City staff listed these challenges at a committee meeting, but council members gave the project the green light anyway.

An alternative solution

In the letter, Graves recommends that the city build its temporary jail at the former Eastern Patrol Division station at 5301 East 27th St. That station closed in 2015. The current East Patrol station is located at the corner of 27th Street and Prospect Avenue.

Graves said the former Eastern Patrol station is located on a city-owned lot that is partially shared with KCPD’s Fleet Operations Unit. He said that after consulting with SFS Architecture, the location “will satisfy concerns related to the location of the police headquarters.”

But Johnson, Lucas’ spokesman, said the old station is located in the heart of a residential neighborhood near single-family homes, a 7-Eleven and a liquor store.

“Releasing inmates in a neighborhood without nearby services can hurt all parties,” he said.

Graves wrote that the former East Patrol station has the potential to house more people and more office space and interview rooms for detectives. Since the building is empty, Graves said demolition can begin immediately without relocating personnel or materials.

That would reduce the construction schedule by six months, so the facility could be open for the 2026 World Cup, he says in his letter.

The letter also estimates lower construction costs due to the location and structure of the building.

“The need to expand short-term detention facilities is clearly a priority for the Department, the City and this Community,” Graves said in the letter. “I believe moving the location of the Police Headquarters facility to the Old East Patrol Division station gives us the best opportunity for the most efficient and cost-effective option.”

The $16 million to build the facility comes from the city’s public safety sales tax fund and the general debt and interest fund.

It is unclear whether the City Council will need to pass a new ordinance if it decides to build the detention center on the site of the former East Patrol station.