30 September 2023
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two Kansas City municipal corrections officers are on leave, accused of hitting and kicking a handcuffed detainee.
In a statement, the city said leaders learned of an incident that happened late last week between multiple municipal corrections officers and a city detainee.
The city said the detainee was seen on camera kicking a corrections officer and then spitting on a corrections officer.
Video then shows two corrections officers hitting and kicking the man while transporting him through a city facility to another county jail.
The city released multiple videos of the incident. You can see some footage in the video player above.
“No matter the provocation, I am disturbed by the behavior displayed by two corrections officers toward a city detainee,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a statement.
“Hey I understand provoked behavior. I’ve been a parent. I’ve been a teacher. But there’s a higher standard for people that are responsible for our collective care,” MORE2 Board Member Doug Shafer said.
“Whether they are corrections officers or KCPD is not as rare as it should be and we are glad that the officers are suspended without pay and we look forward to a good investigation. though we have our doubts at MORE2 whether KCPD is the right investigative team,” MORE2 Board Member Doug Shafer said.
Video from throughout the municipal court also shows officers dragging the handcuffed man down hallways with his shirt over his head and his pants around his ankles.
The man was eventually put into a wheelchair, and video shows one corrections officer push the wheelchair into a wall.
Other corrections and police officers stepped in, the video shows, pulling one corrections officer away from the detainee.
They eventually putting the man into a vehicle to transfer him to a county jail. The detainee refused medical care, according to the city.
“These are difficult jobs, and I thank the corrections officers and Kansas City police officers who intervened to protect the detainee and their fellow corrections officers,” Lucas said.
The mayor said two municipal corrections officers have been placed on unpaid administrative leave. The city has also referred the incident to the Kansas City Police Department to investigate.