Kansas City approves $16 million jail at KCPD headquarters. Why one councilman voted no
Kansas City will spend $16 million to re-purpose part of the police department's headquarters into a detention facility , the City Council voted Thursday.
The ordinance passed 12-1.
City Councilman Johnathan Duncan opposed the measure, calling the vote a "rushed decision" on social media.
The ordinance was proposed in the wake of several high-profile burglaries at businesses and ongoing gun violence that has plagued the city.
"There's pressure to do something, but this facility will solve none of those and will house the non violent & the homeless," Duncan posted. "Annually we spend hundreds of millions on enforcement and a fraction of that on prevention. This is an injustice."
The Kansas City Police Department was allocated $317 million for fiscal year 2024-2025.
The construction cost for the booking facility will be paid for from the Public Safety Sales Tax Fund and the General Debt and Interest Fund, according to the city. However, the costs to staff and operate the jail remain unclear.
Officials said at a Board of Police Commissioners meeting earlier this month that they hope construction is completed in time for the FIFA World Cup. Kansas City will host six matches beginning in June 2026.
The eighth floor at police headquarters at 11th and Locust will have a capacity to hold 144 people, including 55 overnight beds.
People would be held there for up to 72 hours after being arrested.
At a special session of the finance, governance and public safety committee on Sept. 10, some community members voiced support for tougher consequences for people who commit crimes. Others said they wanted their tax dollars to be spent on resources like housing, mental health and jobs, and not on the jail project.
The police department had a central holding and booking facility until it closed in 2015. The metro patrol division has a capacity to hold 18 people. Some people who are arrested are sent to detention centers in Johnson and Vernon counties in Missouri, Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for KCPD, previously told The Star.
