Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas: Law Enforcement Advisory Board (July 8, 2026)

By Connye Griffin, Kansas City Documenter

See more about this meeting at Documenters.org

Summary

• Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Karl A. Oakman updated the board about progress made to build a patrol facility for KCK’s tactical and traffic units. Construction is slated to start in 2028.
• Mayor Christal Watson spoke to the board about its work and what she expected from the board.

Notes

Meeting Attendance

• Chairman Curtis Nicholson

Other board members:

• Kevin Steele
• Paul Soptick Jr.
• Michael Armstrong
• Nikki Richardson (Zoom)
• Lynn Melton
• Duane Beth
• Abbie Dillard

Other attendees:

• Oakman
• Watson
• Emmett Lockridge, Wyandotte County undersheriff
• Luke Folscroft, law enforcement legislative auditor 

• Chair Discussion
  • Nicholson told the committee there was little business to conduct because he had invited Watson to explain her expectations for the board.

• Chief Oakman Report
  • Oakman said that when he joined the department in 2021, two priorities needed support: technology and infrastructure. Both have received his attention, and improvements have been made.
  • Using grant, federal and UG funding, technology vitally important to policing is now among the finest.
  • Despite renovations, infrastructure including police stations still needs to be addressed. Oakman said the police department was established in 1886, but that it did not build its first standalone police station until 2018.
  • The department is selecting an architect for a West Patrol station to serve people living from 47th to 139th streets east to west and the river to Kansas Avenue south to north. This area does not have a station where citizens can make a report.
  • The new building is expected to contain 15,000 to 20,000 square feet, including a community room and an open lobby. The location is a 7.5-acre plot at 103rd Terrace and Georgia Avenue.
  • Oakman also said the fourth year of the Youth Academy, for ages 12 to 15, would be July 27 to July 31. About 100 youngsters have taken part since its inception.

• Mayor Christal Watson
  • Watson’s message was: “Help me help you help the community.” She said that no one, including a mayor, has all the answers. She needs to trust the people she serves and the commissioners who appoint the members to the Law Enforcement Advisory Board, most of whom have backgrounds in law enforcement. The board members’ expertise gives them credibility, but the city also needs data-driven recommendations to make decisions in the community’s best interest, she said. Data empowers the board and the mayor’s office when choosing how to affect the community at large.
  • “I hope you (LEAB members) are looking at policy,” Watson said, and asking what’s not working and what changes need to be made. She said she hoped to receive researched recommendations that she can cite when directing city projects, asking for support and setting goals for the city.
  • Watson shared her personal experience with the FBI’s Citizens Academy. She said she had learned a great deal about the required protocols, necessary restraints and challenging conditions police officers face. “Every situation is a life or death, right?” 
  • Watson said she was eager to find ways to help the public understand what police officers face. She would like LEAB to help her “bridge the gap between the community and the police department” by listening to the community, analyzing their concerns and needs and then recommending ways to address them.
  • Board members Beth and Soptick recalled a LEAB listening tour to learn about citizen concerns and needs held in four neighborhoods about three years ago. Watson expressed enthusiasm about such a project, but a final report from that effort was never prepared.
  • Nicholson said that he and the mayor had been discussing crisis intervention teams and alternatives to jail for mentally unstable people. He suggested the board could focus on these issues and recommend policy related to them. He also said that the city had alternatives to jail in place and was planning to outline them to the mayor at a meeting that week.

Observations & Follow-Up Questions

• Will Watson’s efforts to empower boards result in better governance and community?
• What programs are in place in KCK to provide alternatives to jail for people in crisis or with mental health problems?
• Will LEAB accept Watson’s challenge to address policy changes?

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