[9][8] In 2019, when a white officer shot a black man, Smith was heard in a video recording on the scene of the shooting describing the victim as a "bad guy".

[8] In 2013, Ryan Stokes was fatally shot in the back during a foot chase in the Power and Light District after it was reported that he stole a mobile phone.

[10] The officer that fired his weapon was initially awarded a certificate of commendation that was later revoked after it was discovered that some accounts of the incident were inaccurate.

[13][14] Justice Sonia Sotomayor objected to the decision not to hear the case, writing in her dissent opinion that the case “tells a disturbing story” and "the public is told ‘that palpably unreasonable conduct will go unpunished’ and surviving family members like Stokes’ daughter are told that their losses are not worthy of remedy.”[15] Cameron Lamb was fatally shot by an officer while reversing his truck into a backyard garage following helicopter reports of a traffic disturbance in 2019.

[16][17] A viral video in 2020 circulated on Twitter showing KCPD officers assaulting nonviolent protesters, bringing national attention to the department.

[19][20] The videographer was ticketed and convicted of failure to obey a lawful order after being told to stop recording; he was later pardoned by the mayor.

[22] In wake of these crowd control measures, civil rights groups have called for the resignation of Chief Smith, who defended the officers' actions.

Yarl's family retained civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump shortly after the shooting, who stated that there was "no excuse" for the release of the suspect and demanded swift action.

In 2016 a helicopter made an emergency landing on a northeast Kansas City street after experiencing a mechanical problem.

[36] The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department has been portrayed in numerous episodes of the television show COPS.

The Homicide Unit of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department was portrayed in the A&E Network's documentary series entitled The First 48.