KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Prairie Village and Leawood. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
Giving feedback on police officers, whether good or bad, can be important in how they interact with our communities.
KSHB 41's Olivia Acree shared a new tool implemented by the Overland Park Police Department that allows people to give real-time feedback on their interactions with officers and dispatchers after a call for service.
That's just one resource available.
While the survey is for all feedback, it doesn't replace the Overland Park Police Department's formal complaint process through their Professional Standards Unit. Complaints are then investigated by Internal Affairs.
The Overland Park Police Department reported 32 officer complaints in 2024.
11 of those complaints were for unprofessional conduct.
Most of the complaints ended up being unsubstantiated, meaning there wasn't enough evidence to prove the allegation.
OPPD officers will get positive feedback from the new surveys, but negative responses will go to a supervisor.
The Kansas Commission on Peace Officers' Standards and Training (KSCPOST) is a state agency that oversees officer training and
investigates police misconduct.
The agency shared several years of data.
This year, KSCPOST has taken 36 actions which could include reprimands, suspensions or revocations. So far, they've received 86 officer complaints.
Their record year was in 2023, when they had 204 officer complaints.
If an officer's license is revoked, it's not permanent. After five years, they can petition for their license back, but there's a hearing process.
For an officer's certification to be revoked, there would have to be a violation of the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Act.
Doug Schroeder, KSCPOST's executive director, said sometimes they advise people to start with their local police department about interactions with an officer.
He thinks the Overland Park's new tool is a great way to do that.
"I always tell folks, first and foremost, I would rather no officer ever have a lapse in their integrity but they're human," Schroeder said. "Everybody's human so I can't expect that. The next best thing that I can expect is that when we find a lapse of integrity that we hold them accountable to that."
With all of the resources and tools available to share how officers are doing on the job, Schroeder said it proves why procedural justice is important.
"It's vitally important so that their community, your community, my community, can trust our police officers."
