Despite coming off a nearly50 year, record-low homicide rate in 2014, Kansas City, Missouri Police Chief Darryl Forté isn't content to just rest on his laurels.
Amid unrest from protests over police killings of unarmed African Americans in the United States, Forté has promised a renewed focus on deescalating situations and training officers to retreat from potentially lethal situations.
Forté joined Up to Date's Steve Kraske Thursday to talk about the changing role of police officers in a post-Ferguson world, the uptick in domestic violence-related homicides this year and how police officers can show citizens that they're people too.
Here are the interview highlights:
On the seven domestic violence related homicides in Kansas City so far this year
"That's a huge problem when we had two this time last year, and one in 2013. It's bigger than a police problem. If there's anyone out there who needs help, the National Domestic Violence Hotline can help you develop a safety plan. And for those who know someone going through [domestic abuse] encourage them, don't be judgmental.
"Domestic violence doesn't just happen overnight, and a person doesn't get violent, for the most part, after one incident. You can see these [signs]: they want power, they want control, they keep you from your friends, keep you away from finances, talk to you badly. There are so many signs that can indicate that someone has a tendency to do something to you."
On President Obama's executive order banning grenade launchers, armed aircraft and other military hardware for police use
"We have none of those things. I can't think of a reason why anyone would have [grenade launchers], but I can't speak for other organizations. You start talking about tank-like vehicles with tracks...you might need those in Alaska because there's a lot of snow. So I can't speak for all organizations.
"Everybody needs to know that, if a police agency wanted to purchase those things from a private seller, they can still do that. They just can't get these things from a federal source. And if they are [purchased], I would recommend any police agency to have the appropriate training for the use of it, and the deployment of it. But again, I can't think of any reason we would need those in Kansas City."
On how to humanize the police force
"If you talk to most police officers out there, they don't work for the income, they do it for the outcome. The peace rally we called was perfectly timed, and we're going to do a lot of things to invite people in. One thing I'd like to work on in the future is having police as substitute teachers. We had that program almost off the ground and the school district [we were involved with] decided it wouldn't be in their best interest.
"They used to have Officer Friendly when I was a young kid. It wasn't a controversial or threatening or adversarial relationship. We have significant others, we have children, we have bills, we have connections to faith-based institutions; if kids can see that we're more alike than not, I think that'll break down barriers."
On the Save a Warrior program for soldiers and officers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder
"It was a program established years ago by an outside agency that approached me. They said they had 30 or 40 people go through the program who had been contemplating suicide before they participated. They had been involved in critical incidents and [had] PTSD. Everyone of those participants came out of the program with a different attitude, and I immediately said, 'This is something we need to get involved in.'
"We've been slow to pay attention to [PTSD in law enforcement]. Often times, we see a change in behavior when someone is involved in a critical incident, but this is a process to help. And it's not just PTSD, but people with financial problems, marital problems. We come to work every day, every single day, and try to help people with their problems. But we have to remember that we have to deal with [our problems] at the end of the day.
"We had a philosophy before where ... you got paid, came to do a job and that's what you did. But now, we're saying we're going to take [our officers] by the hand if they're going through something — death, illness, whatever it is — and make sure they're okay."
