KANSAS CITY, Kan. — It was supposed to be a routine inmate transport for Wyandotte County Deputies Patrick Roher and Theresa King on Friday.
Instead, investigators believe they were overcome by one of the inmates they were transporting from the courthouse back to jail. They were shot and later died from their injuries.
While many details are unknown, a KCKPD spokesman said the two deputies were following protocol at the time.
According to the Kansas Department of Corrections, there are no standardized transport practices for all agencies in the state. Each agency drafts its own.
On Monday, the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office declined to answer questions about its policy, citing security concerns.
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Jackson County declined our request for the same reason, but Director of Corrections Diana Turner said the department is keeping the families of the fallen deputies and the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office in their thoughts and prayers.
"Inmate transportation is a core function of our daily operation. As such, our associates have been reminded to remain vigilant at all times as our goal is to provide for the safety and security of our staff, inmates and the public," Turner wrote.
The Johnson County Sheriff's Office said it bases security for inmate transportation on the number of inmates and the nature of their crimes.
"We feel that our operations plans are sufficient and there is no need for altering of them at this time. All Sheriff's Office Detention/Court Security Policies are reviewed annually and any changes needing to be done are addressed at that time or when deemed necessary," Deputy Claire Canaan wrote in an email to 41 Action News.
Although the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department does not transport inmates to and from court, Chief Terry Zeigler said what happened last Friday is already changing his department's practices.
"Because of this suspect's propensity for violence, we've already gone to two officers at the hospital guarding him rather than having just one," Zeigler said.
The Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office said its policies are always under review, especially after tragedies like this one.
