Cities Welcome Federal Law Enforcement Support but Reject National Guard Deployment

In the summer of 2020, federal agents were deployed to Kansas City, Missouri, amid accusations that local liberal officials were responsible for a sudden surge in violent crime.

Quinton Lucas, the city’s Democratic mayor, rejected the notion that local leaders were at fault for the rise in crime. Given the heightened skepticism toward law enforcement following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis that year, Mayor Lucas expressed concern about the conduct of federal officers operating within his city.

However, in the months that followed, Mayor Lucas came to support certain aspects of the federal initiative, known as Operation Legend, which was named after a four-year-old Kansas City boy tragically killed by a stray bullet while asleep.

Federal agents collaborated with local police to apprehend individuals with outstanding felony warrants, confiscate illegal firearms, and prosecute some offenders under federal laws that impose harsher penalties than state statutes. With renewed federal promises to address urban crime, Mayor Lucas indicated he would be open to federal assistance, provided it includes a clear and focused strategy.

“I would welcome their support immediately,” he stated, referring to federal agents aiding efforts to prevent guns from reaching domestic abusers and youth or assisting in ballistics tracing. “I would attend a press conference at the White House with them without hesitation.”