A question on how the Kansas City police plan to address an increase in the number of drive-by shootings ignited a heated exchange Tuesday between Mayor Sly James and Police Chief Darryl Forté.
In January, there were 39 reported drive-by shootings. During the same period a year ago, there were 23 such shootings.
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That prompted James to ask police commanders during the monthly meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners what their strategy is to reduce those numbers.
Instead, Forté said a substantial number of drive-by shootings, homicides and other violence often occurs in areas of the city where the streets are littered with trash, abandoned properties, broken streetlights and crumbling sidewalks.
Forté said the department needs additional officers and other resources to help curb the problem.
That response did not please James who said, “That is a legitimate question and it is one that still hasn’t been answered and even if we had more people.”
Chief Forté maintains an excellent blog where he addresses issues within the agency. You can read that here.
