WATCH: Kansas City leaders address rise in domestic violence and homicides in 2025

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City’s top leaders ed forces to send a strong message on Monday morning: the city is no place for domestic violence.

This year could bring a record-breaking number of domestic violence homicides if the trend isn’t turned around, police chief Stacey Graves said.

Only four months into 2025, Kansas City has seen 12 domestic violence-related homicides, the same number as all of 2024.

Graves, Mayor Quinton Lucas, Prosecutor Melesa Johnson, the KD domestic violence investigations unit and local domestic violence advocates teamed up on Monday, encouraging the Kansas City community to help them tackle the disturbing trend.

Their main message? There are places to go and people to turn to before it’s too late.

“There is a way out,” Graves stated. “Everyone deserves to feel safe, especially in their own home. I’m standing here today with leaders and trusted community organizations who want you to be safe and want you to know they are here to help you.”

“We want all victims to know, all survivors to know that you are not alone, help is available,” Johnson added, “and we stand ready and willing to you”.

The prosecutor’s office relayed that it has taken a few steps recently focusing on survivors and victims. Those include having a unit to target repeat offenders and animal cruelty, an early warning sign of trouble.

Johnson also said her office has in-house advocates and resources for anyone taking these cases through the legal system.

Graves said what makes this situation challenging is that there’s not just one thing contributing to this increase.

“There are some incidents involving abs and victims were there were no reports taken prior to the incident and some there were,” Graves said.

Johnson highlighted some of the work already in motion to help stop this violence, like the Crime Strategies Unit that goes after repeat offenders, and specific cases being directed to her office.

“Any domestic violence incident involving strangulation, serious injuries, even a child witnessing the incident all are on the list of offenses that should be sent to my office directly so that felony conduct can be married with felony consequences,” Johnson said. “The consequences of failing to address this behavior is devastating,” Johnson said.

Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.