Last October, many urban Kansas City residents expressed increasing concern, fueled by social media reports, over the safety of Black females. A Black woman, 22, escaped from a home in Excelsior Springs after she told police she had been abducted on Prospect Avenue in Kansas City by the Clay County homeowner. He kept her restrained in the basement, and she had not been alone, she said; other victims were there.

I have worked for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office for more than 25 years. I started as an intern during law school and have worked in every department within the Office. I have served as your elected Prosecutor for 12 years. I take my oath...