A 25-year veteran of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, Elaine Moore’s passion for serving the community’s youth has fueled a life of impact both in uniform and in her free time.
“I wanted to make a difference, and not in the vague sense of just wanting to make the world a better place,” said Moore. “I wanted some little girl, who was possibly me in this scenario, to look and say, ‘Hey, I can do that, too.’”
Moore was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, before moving to KCK in 1997 to join the police department. Growing up in a home with seven brothers helped give her some of the prerequisite toughness it takes to be a police officer.
Currently an Internal Affairs Detective, Moore has held numerous titles within the police department. The one she would point to as the “game-changer” was her time as a School Resource Officer (SRO) at Schlagle High School.
“That was probably the best time of my life,” Moore said. “It was very eye-opening, but the students taught me so much. You meet the kids, see their faces and come to understand that a certain face means they have no lights. Another face means they’re living on the streets and are homeless. I set up power strips in my office so anybody could charge their devices. I provided toiletries and snacks and did anything I could do to help the kids out.”
During Moore’s time as an SRO, she was approached with the opportunity to become an assistant volleyball coach, which eventually led to her being named the head coach.
“It was hard because the kids didn’t even know the positions,” Moore said. “They didn’t know what a setter or a libero was, they didn’t know outside hitter or middle hitter. I had to start from scratch. It took me three years, but when I left Schlagle after that period of time, all of my girls went on to do great things.”
Moore’s impact at Schlagle went beyond her duties as an SRO and volleyball coach. After noticing a need for students who weren’t getting enough food when they left campus, Moore started a food drive for the school that continues to this day.
“It started just by standing at the front door and realizing these kids needed some food to take home,” Moore said. “A kid is not going to take food from you in front of their peers because they don’t want to be made fun of for being poor. That’s why I started the food drive and designed it in a way where the kids had to take the food from me because that was a part of their assigned community service.”
It should come as no surprise that Moore’s favorite position at KCKPD involved working with kids. She served as the Juvenile Engagement Coordinator where she was able to have a direct impact on the community’s youth.
“Pretty much everything I did was either about kids, to help kids or with a community that needed to know how to deal with kids,” said Moore. “I wanted to help the kids get back on track. I like dealing with the ones that people call a challenge because usually it’s something simple that we’re forgetting. Every young person needs structure and people oftentimes don’t know how to give them structure.”
Moore has always found ways to serve the community. In 2017, she helped launch an after-school program called the Police Athletic League (PAL) of Kansas City, KS. It provides youth a safe place to go after school where they learn life skills and teamwork through organized recreational activities.
She also volunteers with Giving the Basics, a non-profit organization that provides toiletries, food and clothing to children who are in need. She even finds time to volunteer for causes that aren’t focused on kids. Moore is a Board Member for the volunteer organization Christmas in October, which helps rebuild and restore houses for those in need, primarily the elderly and disabled.
For her non-stop commitment to serve this community, Moore is being honored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and the Kansas City Royals as a “Blue KC Hometown Hero.” She will be recognized Friday, July 8 at Kauffman Stadium.