City Hall: Department of Justice investigating Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A lawsuit filed by a firefighter against the city of Kansas City, Missouri, over employment discrimination and retaliation revealed the United State Department of Justice is investigating the city’s fire department.

In an email, a spokesperson for KCMO confirmed the DOJ’s probe into the Kansas City Fire Department, but no other details on the probe were immediately available.

However, a lawsuit filed by Stephen M. Seals — a longtime KCFD employee and current Battalion Chief — suggests he found out about the DOJ’s probe in 2022.

Seals filed the lawsuit against KCMO alleging employment discrimination and retaliation.

He accuses the department of passing him over for promotions because of complaints he lodged on discrimination he was experiencing, among other things.

On Jan. 6, 2022, Seals said in the lawsuit he was contacted by the DOJ, who told him about the probe into KCFD, according to the lawsuit.

Specifically, Seals learned the DOJ was investigating “the work environment of African-American firefighters who were employed by Defendant, including instances of race discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, the department’s hiring, promotional, and assignment processes, and its impact on African-American firefighters.”

He also claims he participated in the DOJ’s investigation again on Jan. 26.

During this time, Seals was assigned duties of Chief of Health, Wellness and Safety. He was in charge of creating and implementing blood draw, and mapping out facilities for employees, among other things.

Not long after the DOJ contacted Seals, he claims he was passed over for promotion as Shift Deputy Chief in April.

Seals claims the city instead hired a younger, less qualified candidate.

In August 2022, Seals notified the city that he was participating in the DOJ’s investigation and once again participated.

In November 2022, he learned he was stripped of his duties of handling physicals.

Seals alleges he’s been retaliated against for reporting discrimination, participating in the DOJ’s investigation among other things.

In a statement, a spokesperson for KCMO said the city is fully cooperating with the investigation.

“The United States Department of Justice is conducting an investigation into the Kansas City Fire Department and the City of Kansas City is cooperating fully in their investigation,” Sherae Honeycutt, press secretary for KCMO, said in the statement.

—