Like everyone else in Kansas City, we are elated about the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory! We have been preparing for this possibility for quite a while and are ready to host what is likely to be the biggest celebration this city has seen since the Royals World Series win in 2015.
The victory parade is an all-hands-on-deck event for KCPD. Additionally, law enforcement agencies from around the metro area have dedicated some of their limited manpower (and womanpower!) to assist us that day. All of us at KCPD are very grateful for their assistance, and it shows what a truly cohesive metro area we have and how well we work together. This is a regional event, and it will be handled with regional resources. There will be hundreds upon hundreds of officers along the parade route and at the celebration at Union Station afterward to ensure everyone has a great time while staying safe. This will not detract from officers working the rest of the city. We are not taking away from our regular patrol division staffing allocation. Instead, we are bringing in everyone from investigative units to Academy recruits to help on the streets that day, as well as the aforementioned outside agencies.
Just as police will have to be flexible that day, so will those who will take part in the festivities. We are expecting hundreds of thousands of people to descend on a very limited area in downtown Kansas City. If you plan to attend, expect very heavy congestion, big traffic delays and huge crowds. Pack your patience. There is only so much police can do to move that many cars and people along. In a large crowd, items and people (especially children) are bound to get lost or separated. We will do everything we can to reunite people and return property to its rightful owners, but please help us by keeping a close eye on your children and keep your property secured.
Additionally, it’s February in Kansas City, so the forecast for the parade calls for cold temperatures. Please dress accordingly. As always, public alcohol consumption also is prohibited.
We can’t wait to celebrate this historic day with you, Kansas City. Thank you for your assistance, and thank you to the Kansas City Chiefs for making this momentous day possible in our community!
We’re experiencing an incredible moment here in Kansas City, and your police department has been working hard to ensure everyone can have a great time watching the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.
KCPD will be fully staffed citywide on Sunday evening, and we’re bringing in an additional 100 officers from units such as Tactical Enforcement and Traffic Enforcement. These additional officers will keep an eye on the city’s entertainment districts, but their assignment is to remain fluid and assist wherever needed.
Speaking of entertainment districts, all of them have shared their security plans with us, which include off-duty KCPD officers who will be assisting with security in those areas. Additional dispatch staff have been assigned specifically to handle calls related to game celebrations.
We’ve made extensive preparations to facilitate people having fun on this historic day for our city. Officers are ready for celebratory honking, yelling, high fives and more. We all have seen things go wrong in other cities that were supposed to be celebrating a championship, and no one wants that here, especially not celebratory gunfire. If you see something that looks like it’s starting to get out of control, please call us so it doesn’t grow into something really bad.
If the Chiefs win, more information about forthcoming celebrations will be posted early next week. In the meantime, we’re looking forward to helping everyone enjoy the game in the home of the Chiefs: Kansas City, Missouri.
These last few days have been huge for our city, and I am extremely proud of how everyone has conducted themselves. The Royals’ World Series win has brought a national spotlight here, and the people of Kansas City have shined. The night the Royals clinched victory, we didn’t have a single arrest related to the game or the following celebration. That fact made national news, from USA Today to TMZ. It was not news to anyone here. It’s what we expected.
That classiness has continued today. With hundreds of thousands of people piling into just a few square miles of our city, we made very few arrests, and those were for very minor incidents. Despite the traffic and the crowding, everyone was happy and civil. I and the other members of the Kansas City Missouri Police Department are so proud to be part of and serve this community. Our officers worked very hard today, but the people of Kansas City made their jobs enjoyable.
