Public forum Dec. 10 to introduce three finalists for Kansas City police chief

Candidates for the job of Kansas City Police Chief are pictured from left: DeShawn Beaufort, Stacey Graves and Scott Ebner. Photo collage from The Kansas City Star.

The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners has named three finalists to be the city’s next chief of police, and is hosting a public forum to meet the candidates Saturday, Dec. 10, at 10 a.m. at the Robert J. Mohart Multipurpose Center, 3200 Wayne Ave.

Kansas City chief of police finalists

Public Forum

Dec. 10, 10 a.m., at the Mohart community center

3200 Wayne Ave.

The board of commissioners named an internal candidate — Kansas City Police Department Maj. Stacey Graves — and two outside candidates — DeShawn Beaufort, a commander with the Philadelphia Police Department, and Scott Ebner, a retired lieutenant colonel and deputy superintendent of administration for the New Jersey State Police.

The commission now moves into the final steps of a process that began last spring that was aimed to gather public input on the qualities Kansas City needs in its next police chief. Throughout the spring, The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Public Safety Coalition hosted seven listening sessions and two online surveys.

Rev. Bob Hill, minister emeritus of Community Christian Church, and Marge Williams, LINC commissioner and former Hickman Mills superintendent, were co-facilitators in the survey process that culminated in a chamber community feedback report.

At this point, the Board of Police Commissioners is planning only the one event Dec. 10 for public input during the finalist stage. The chamber’s Public Safety Coalition issued a statement Dec. 5, that the coalition was disappointed that the commission has not scheduled more events.