Kansas City News Blog

Kansas City Police Department Captain Rich Lockhart confirms that, in March, officers will cast secret ballots to determine whether the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #99, will become the department's union representation.

Lockhart says the FOP has been pushing the department to become unionized for years, but only recently got traction when a Missouri Supreme Court decision overturned a previous ruling that had barred Missouri schoolteachers, firefighters and police from unionizing.

As a union, the FOP can negotiate a contract with the department regarding pay, working conditions and terms of employment. Since the mayor's proposed budget includes a $12 million dollar budget cut for the KCPD that threatens 225 jobs, unionizing might seem like an attractive option for officers. But the dynamic between the union, the department and the city remains to be determined, Lockhart says.

"The department is obligated to go through this process," Lockhart says. "The vote will decide whether the FOP becomes a union or not. If it's voted down, we'll go on with the systems we have in place. If it's voted into existence, we'll have to go through this learning process."

Luckily, the law bars police officers from going on strike.