KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Shawnee and Mission. If you have a story idea to share, send Alyssa an email to alyssa.jackson@kshb.com.
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The city of Overland Park has been without a police chief since September 2023 after Frank Donchez resigned.
The city began a national search in May 2024.
Doreen Jokerst was sworn in as the department's first female police chief on Oct. 14.
She sat down one-on-one with KSHB 41's Alyssa Jackson and shared how her dreams of policing started.
"At the age of eight, I toured Alcatraz with my family and told my parents this is something I want to do," Jokerst said. "At 14, I joined the police explorer program."
Jokerst entered the police academy at 20 years old.
She served the Parker, Colorado, Police Department for 20 years and rose to the rank of commander. She also spent six years as assistant vice chancellor for Public Safety and Chief of Police at the University of Colorado Boulder.
In that position, she made them the first nationally accredited police department in the county's history.
"There’s a lot we did with crowd management, stadium management," she said. "My life had some enhancements when we hired Coach Deion Sanders at the University of Colorado Boulder."
A few months ago, residents shared with KSHB 41 and the city what they wanted in their next police chief.
As she continues to transition, she wants to hear that feedback too.
"For right now, a lot of things I'm trying to do are listening sessions," Jokerst said. "Everyone will have different perspectives on ways the police department can improve or 'If you change anything, don’t change this. This is near and dear to our culture.'"
Jokerst has only been on the job for two weeks but top of her mind is reformative policing.
"When it comes to restorative justice, education approaches, what it looks like not widening the criminal justice footprint," Jokerst said. "I’m trying to figure out — do we teach people who are incarcerated educational things? Do we look at what happens when they’re re-integrated into society?"
She’s also coming into a department with the some of the same challenges agencies are facing nationwide
"The Overland Park Police Department is no different," Jokerst said. "I'm looking at ways we can incentivize what our recruitment looks like and that starts with culture too in the police department."
The chief expressed she wants other city departments and stakeholders to address crime with them.
Inside of the department, Jokerst wants to make sure they are taking care of their own.
"Mental health and wellness from a team standpoint is important to me — hurt people hurt people," she said. "If we aren’t taking care of our own, it’s going to cascade into the community we serve and have detrimental effects."
As the new chief gets to work, she can't forget the 8-year-old girl who dreamed of moving to the top.
"To be the first woman and hopefully not the last is an honor I don’t take lightly whatsoever," she said.
Now that she’s arrived, it’s about what can she do next.
"I think I was the 8-year-old girl who did not fit what policing was at that time," Jokerst said. "I always thought to myself, 'If I am honored or humbled to reach the next rank, I am going to change the way we police.'"
Jokerst said she will continue making public appearances at city events to get to know the community.
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