Lawsuit Claims Kansas City Police Officer Told To be ‘Ready to Kill’ and Respond To Calls From White Neighborhoods Only

A police officer from Kansas City is trying to put a stop to racial discrimination.

The Kansas City Star reports officer Edward Williams has filed an employment discrimination lawsuit after claiming his superiors told him to target minority residents during traffic stops to reach ticket quotas—a practice illegal in Missouri.

The lawsuit states police leaders ignored the law by encouraging officers to meet ticket goals in the traffic unit as part of its measured performance. It doesn’t stop there. The 21-year police veteran, who is white, also claims a former department captain instructed officers to only respond to calls from white neighborhoods because “those are the folks who are actually paying for the police.”

According to the lawsuit, that same captain told Williams and others to “approach every car with the mindset to be ready to kill everybody in the car.” “This directive came straight from the then-Chief of Police Richard Smith,” Williams claims in the suit, according to KCUR. Smith was criticized for gatekeeping cases of excessive force against people of color and his reaction to #BlackLivesMatter protests.

After he raised concerns with his superiors about “potentially racially discriminatory” policies, the 21-year police vet claims he was punished, labeled a “whistleblower,” and discriminated against due to his age, 44, and disabled. Current KCPD Chief Stacy Graves says the department has received several inquiries about the lawsuit. “I find these allegations very concerning and will immediately ensure the Traffic Division is reminded to operate and enforce laws appropriately,” Graves said.

“KCPD is dedicated to policing that is both equitable and fair in all aspects of our duties.”

Laws in the Show Me state prohibit law enforcement agencies from having policies that require or encourage an employee to meet a specific number of citations for traffic violations on a quota basis. Williams said. In the suit, he was put on a “personal performance improvement plan” due to his “low ticket quota” in 2021. He says he verbally instructed to stop 10 cars a day for a year.