Armed security guards heading to KC's Country Club Plaza via new owners
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Armed security guards are coming to the Country Club Plaza, according to workers with the new ownership group Highland Park (HP) Village.
Even if you go there Friday evening, you may see them in black uniforms walking the streets.
Workers of the Dallas-based company spoke on Friday afternoon. They have an office on Broadway just south of 47th Street. HP Village has hired Metro Public Safety out of Gladstone to walk the streets. Those guards are in training on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They were quite visible on 47th Street and on Broadway Friday afternoon.
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'I think it's smart,' Plaza shopper and Kansas City, Kansas resident Jenny Lange said.
'You want to protect the businesses, protect the people.'
The majority of the people think having armed guards in the area is a good thing.
'I don't know why everybody thinks guards are a bad thing. I mean, guards keep you safe,' Lange continued.
'Are they worried it's going to make it look like it's unsafe, because there's a reality of life we live in today. Do you want reality, or do you want to pretend like you feel safe?'
The new guards on the Plaza are Class A security guards, too, which means they can detain suspects, unlike Class B ones. HP Village wouldn't comment in time for our deadline Friday on what kind of training these guards go through. They did send a statement, though.
'The safety and security of our customers remains our top priority at Country Club Plaza, as we continue to provide a safe, family-friendly environment,' Chief Marketing Officer Victoria Snee said.
'We have recently engaged a new security company. Some improvements include shifting from unarmed to Class A armed security officers, adding additional highly trained patrol officers on all shifts as well as more patrol cars. We will continue to have a heavy Kansas City Police Department off-duty presence. There will also be more security cameras added throughout the property while existing ones are upgraded with enhanced technology.'
Hunter Wilson, who's working on The Plaza right now, likes the idea of having armed guards based on what happened to him.
'I was at work one day, and I came back out to my car, and my window was broken,' Wilson said.
'They basically just took everything out of my car.'
Aldo Shoe Store Manager Emily Lopez says she likes the idea of having armed guards patrol the streets, too.
'I've actually worked at St. Louis' Galleria Mall,' Lopez said.
'They had armed security. They were more on things like cameras, 24-hour surveillance, like if anything goes wrong with your car, they have the capture of that, and that's what we need too… definitely.'
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The owner of a furniture store, on the other hand, doesn't know whether the guards are necessary.
'We never felt that we were in any kind of situation or danger or whatever you would want to call it,' Terrasi Living & Scandia Home Owner Ursula Terrasi said.
The Metro Public Safety guards officially start on the Plaza on Monday.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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