SE Kansas City News

While Tracey Chappell has been on the campaign trail seeking election to be the next Jackson County Prosecutor, she has been inundated with stories by residents claiming a lack of investigation on the part of Democratic incumbent Jean Peters Baker. 

Baker has served as the Jackson County Prosecutor since 2011.

“It indicates that she doesn’t care,” Chappell, who is on the Republican ticket, told the SE Kansas City News. “Her office is not exercising due diligence and investigating cases in the way that they need to be investigated before moving forward with charging someone. It's reckless behavior and you have many people whose lives are impacted because of this.”

Jean Peters Baker | https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/

Chappell has practiced criminal law for 18 years and, in 2018, was elected as the Blue Springs City Prosecutor, a part-time position.

“I second-chaired a murder case,” she said. “I've tried first-degree assaults with armed criminal actions, robbery cases and sexual assault cases. On the defense side, I've tried a variety of criminal cases on a felony level.”

If elected in November, Chappell plans to send investigators to help solve crimes, including any shootings by police that result in death or incapacitation.

“I decided to run after finding out that the person who supervises the attorneys and the remaining staff in [Peters Baker's] office submitted an email to Kansas City detectives on a case and told them not to put anything in writing,” Chappell said. “That is corruption because you're essentially telling detectives to hide evidence. It’s prosecutorial misconduct.” 

Chappell further alleges that whenever there has been an accusation against a police officer of wrongdoing, instead of filing an affidavit of probable cause, Peters Baker leaves the case for a grand jury.

“When you have cases involving police officer shootings and the police are left to investigate themselves, they often do not see any wrongdoing and won't sign off on a probable-cause affidavit stating that a crime has occurred,” said Chappell. “When that happens, the prosecutor is well within her rights to file a probable-cause affidavit stating that a crime has occurred and sending her investigators to investigate.”

On Chappell’s to-do list, if elected, is to build bridges with the community and the police department, something she says has been sorely lacking under Peters Baker’s tenure.

“Instead of being a gatekeeper of justice and bringing parties together, Jean Peters Baker has divided everyone,” Chappell said. “She was also the chair of the state Democratic Party. So, she has been treating the prosecutor's office like a part-time job.”

Baker stepped down from her Missouri Democratic Party chair position last month.

Currently, Chappell believes there's a gap between the prosecutor's office and the community, as previously reported by Northeast News.

“There is no level of trust that when a crime occurs, Jean Peters Baker is going to actively prosecute those cases to the fullest extent of the law and, on the other side of that, people are saying that there are instances of individuals who are wrongfully charged and she’s not investigating those cases to make sure that this is the individual that really perpetrated the crime,” said Chappell.

Jean Peters Baker did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

To ensure that she has her finger on the pulse of the constituents she serves as Jackson County Prosecutor, Chappell plans to meet with every neighborhood association on a quarterly basis.

“That will help me and my office understand what the needs are of the precinct in each area of the community and also what services we have available for those issues that are there, such as addiction and mental health ” she said.