Hello, everyone. I’m Darryl Forté, and I was sworn in as the chief of the Kansas City Missouri Police Department on Oct. 13. I am very honored the Board of Police Commissioners selected me to lead the department, especially as the first African-American Chief. But I’m going to try to take my mother’s advice to “stay humble.” I think this blog has been a great way to interact with and inform the community, and I intend to continue it. So watch it regularly. In the coming weeks and months, I’ll let you know about the plans I have to fight crime and work with the community.
I wanted to start by telling you a little about me. I was born and raised in Kansas City. I have four siblings, and we were raised by a hard-working single mother. I graduated from Ruskin High School in 1980 and earned an associate’s degree from Penn Valley Community College in 1985. That same year, I joined the police department. I went on to earn my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration from Park University in 1990 and my master’s degree in management from Baker University in 1997. I’m also a graduate of the 197th session of the FBI National Academy, which took place in 1999.
I may be new to the Chief’s spot, but I’ve been with the KCPD for 26 years. I’ve held every rank in the department: officer, detective, major, you name it. And I’ve had the opportunity to work in diverse units, from Central Patrol Division to the Vice Unit to the Drug Enforcement Unit to the Employment Section and Narcotics and Vice Division.
I have been married for 24 years and have two daughters: a 22-year-old and one who’s about to turn 20. In my free time, I enjoy fishing, hunting and flying remote-control helicopters.
I’m not afraid to make changes to benefit the department and the city, and I’ve already done so. You’ll be hearing about more of those soon. I also know the community is the best crime-fighting tool we have, and I look forward to working with you in the future.
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.
