Kansas City creates domestic violence task force
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Almost five months into the year, Kansas City has already exceeded the number of domestic violence deaths from last year.
Twelve people total died in 2024 due to some kind of domestic violence situation. This year, 13 people have died.
On Thursday, city council approved a plan that would create a Domestic Violence Task Force.
Councilwoman Melissa Robinson is a big er of the task force and said this is an all-hands-on-deck effort from the city, county, police department, and the community.
“We need to engage and figure out what’s happening,” Robinson said.
Robinson said the task force will help find the gaps in the system and make it to where it’s easier for people to get help.
“I believe that a lot of people who are caught in the system feel like it’s too difficult as I’m trying to protect myself, trying to protect my children and then I have to go through all of these other layers of bureaucracy and I really don’t know where to go or who to turn to,” Robinson said. “So, this is, I believe it’s two-fold.”
Chris Stibbs with Newhouse, a local domestic violence shelter that’s constantly full, said they’re seeing firsthand the need for more resources.
“I’m hopeful that we will see some changes from this,” Stibbs said. “We are taking it day by day as this committee is formed. We are grateful to the city for wanting to create this task force, for listening to agencies who are saying we need to do something about this.”
Stibbs said they’ll be working closely with the city to help make this task force become a reality sooner rather than later.
“I mean we have to come up with solutions,” Stibbs said. “One death to domestic violence is one too many and I love seeing the city, county, and community coming together to tackle this.”
Estelle Lewis, with the Holmes Garden Neighborhood Association in South Kansas City, spoke at the council meeting, hoping to be part of the task force.
“We’ve lost a lot of people here,” Lewis said. “Everyone directs you to the shelters, to here, well everybody around here is on survivor mode. We need to bring the community to them.”
In a statement, Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson told KCTV5:
“We look forward to collaborating with the City’s Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention Task Force to address the surge of tragic domestic violence incidents taking place in our community. In addition to our office’s strategies to tackle domestic violence, collaboration with the task force and its broader public awareness efforts will be vital to inform our community about the resources available and save lives.”
The Kansas City Police Department echoed that saying, “We have robust partnerships with prosecutors and DV shelters alike to combat this issue. The Jackson county prosecutor has indicated prosecuting DV crime is a priority. We are pleased to continue to partner with the city to help make a difference for domestic violence victims in Kansas City.”
Robinson hopes to see more details about the task force in the coming months.
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