Missouri lawmakers look to special session to address KCPD budget changes

WAY IT SPENDS TAXPAYERMONEY.SOME STATE LAWMAKERSDON'T WANT TO SEE THISPLAN PLAY OUT...AND ONE WHOREPRESENTS PART OFPLATTE COUNTY HAS HISOWN IDEA.41 ACTION NEWSREPORTER EMMA JAMESEXPLAINS THAT POTENTALACTION.EMMA JAMES, REPORTING"State Senator TonyLuetkemeyer - who representsBuchanan and Platte Counties- calls these changesdefunding the policedepartment and says it willultimately make the city lesssafe.

Now - he's focusing onwhat comes next."STATE SEN.

TONYLUETKEMEYER,DISTRICT 34"Everybody is still kind ofreeling from this a little bitsowe're looking at differentoptions and we just want tomake sure we make the bestpossible decision goingforward.LUETKEMEYER WANTS TOINCREASE THE MINIMUMTHRESHOLD FOR HOWMUCH THE CITY HAS TOFUND THE POLICEDEPARTMENT.CURRENT MISSOURI LAWREQUIRES THE CITY TOGIVE A MINIMUM OF 20PERCENT FROM THEGENERAL REVENUE FUNDTO KCPD.CITY LEADERS REDUCEDITS FUNDING TO KCPD TOTHAT 20 PERCENT MINIMUMFROM 25.8 PERCENTTHURSDAY.STATE SEN.

TONYLUETKEMEYER,DISTRICT 34"What I would like to see is forus to increase that to reflectthe modern day needs of thedepartment, and then also toclarify what constitutes cityrevenue."HE SAYS IT'S NOT CLEARENOUGH WHAT GOES INTOCALCULATING THAT 20PERCENT MINIMUM.BOTH FIXES COULDHAPPEN IN A SPECIALSESSION OR NEXT YEAR'SREGULAR SESSION.HE SAYS RIGHT NOW - ALLOPTIONS ARE ON THETABLE.MAYOR QUINTON LUCASSAYS HE DOESN'T FEELMISSOURI LAWMAKERSPASSED LEGISLATION THISPAST SESSION THAT GETSTO THE ROOT CAUSE OFVIOLENT CRIME.MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS,KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI"We saw in this legislativesession bills related to policeresidency, bills related todriving over protesters, allthese sorts of things that don'tactually move to makingKansas City safer."LUETKEMEYER SAYS THEBOTTOM LINE IS THEBUDGET CHANGES MEANFEWER POLICE OFFICERSON THE STREETS, WHICHMEANS HIGHER CRIMERATES.IN KANSAS CITY, EMMA