Clarence
Kelley was destined
to enter law enforcement.
He was nicknamed ‘Chief’
in Northeast High
School where he batted
.300 on the baseball
team. He received
his Bachelor of Arts
degree from the University
of Kansas and then
studied law at the
University of Kansas
City. After college
he joined the FBI.
In 1943 he enlisted
in the U.S. Navy and
served in the South
Pacific. He returned
to the FBI after the
war and became an
administrator handling
criminal cases in
ten cities across
the country.
In
1961 Attorney General
Robert F. Kennedy
recommended Kelley
to take over as police
chief of Kansas City.
He pioneered the use
of computers to trace
criminals, initiated
using a helicopter
to patrol the city,
created the metro
squad to deal with
major crimes, recruited
and promoted black
policemen, and founded
the Office of Citizen
Complaints. Kansas
City’s police department
became a national
model. He served as
police chief for 12
years, from 1961 to
1973.
When
it was discovered
that L. Patrick Gray,
director of the FBI,
had destroyed information
pertinent to the Watergate
investigation, Gray
resigned. A temporary
director was named
while a search was
conducted for someone
to fill that post.
Twenty-seven candidates
were considered. On
June 7, 1973, President
Richard Nixon chose
Clarence Kelley. At
this time, when the
Watergate scandal
prompted distrust,
Kelley told the Senate
Judiciary Committee,
"I’ve never bowed
to political pressure
and I don’t mean to
start now." He was
quickly approved and
lived up to his reputation
as an innovator. When
Jimmy Carter became
President, Kelley
was replaced as FBI
director. He returned
to Kansas City and
founded an investigation
and security organization,
employing many former
FBI investigators.
The
Library and Resource
Center at Northeast
High School is named
after Kelley.
