City Council to consider letting residents review police misconduct

More than 80 complaints were brought against Wichita police personnel in 2016. Until now, such complaints were primarily seen only by the department.

On Tuesday, the Wichita City Council will consider creating a new review board that would let a few community members review allegations of misconduct against officers and make recommendations on what the agency could do differently.

The Citizen’s Review Board also would help the Wichita Police Department with community outreach and provide input on racial and biased-based policing issues.

But the board’s reviews of internal investigations and its discussions related to police misconduct still won’t be made public. Its members will have to sign confidentiality agreements.

Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said the creation of a review board is a matter of “good government” in a speech late last month.

“I believe that the … internal investigations we do are thorough and should be reviewed by people,” said Ramsay, who helped start a similar board in the Duluth, Minn., where he served as police chief before taking the role in Wichita.

The police department should “let people, citizens come in and poke, prod, pull back, ask questions and make us better as a department,” he said, adding: “We have nothing to hide.”

Of the 83 complaints filed against Wichita police staff last year, 18 came from outside of the department, according to information from the Wichita Police Department’s Professional Standards Bureau, which investigates complaints. Sixty-five originated internally.

External complaints could include any grievance any resident has against a department member.

Internal complaints would include things like not coming to work prepared, lying to a supervisor and not following policy.

Of the external complaints, half had enough evidence to support a guilty finding, according to the police department.

Of the internal complaints, 60 – or all but 5 – were substantiated.

The citizen’s review board would be able to review any official investigation into an officer after the police department completes its internal investigation, doles out discipline and all appeals and other remedies available to the officer are exhausted. A request to review must come within a year of when an officer is disciplined or the close of the internal investigation.

The board would not have the authority to investigate complaints on its own, recommend or impose discipline or have subpoena power. Because the reviews involve personnel matters, they will be kept confidential.

The city currently has a review board, called the City Manager’s Review Board, which has the power to review internal investigations. It generally does so only when a citizen appeals the department’s finding, Capt. Doug Nolte said.

If approved, the Citizen’s Review Board would replace the City Manager’s Review Board.

The new board would be made up of seven Wichitans appointed by the city manager. Each appointment would be for four years.

Prospective members must be at least 18, U.S. citizens, pass a criminal background check and complete the police department’s citizen’s academy and open records and meetings training.

People with claims against the city, those with pending criminal charges or domestic violence convictions, registered sex offenders and anyone on parole, probation or participating in a deferred judgment program for drug possession, dishonesty, resisting or battering law enforcement or moral turpitude crimes aren’t eligible.

Elected officials, candidates for government office, city employees and their immediate family members also cannot be appointed to the board.

In addition to reviewing the findings of internal investigations, the citizen’s review board also would:

▪ Help the police department with community outreach and relay community concerns

▪ Look at annual reports from the department regarding racial and biased-based policies

▪ Help develop policies, education and outreach efforts related to racial and biased-based policing

▪ Review existing police policies, practices and procedures and make recommendations for improvement.

The Wichita City Council meets at 9 a.m. on the first floor of City Hall, 455 N. Main.

This story was originally published October 9, 2017 at 6:40 PM with the headline "City Council to consider letting residents review police misconduct."