Wichita police board concerned about officers’ conduct, ‘adequacy of the discipline’

A case involving 11 Wichita officers who reportedly posted inappropriate photos in an app has led the Wichita Citizen’s Review Board to call its first special meeting since it started in 2018.

The March 10 meeting seeking more information will be mostly in an executive session, which is closed to the public.

“The board has concern regarding the conduct reported and the adequacy of the discipline imposed,” said board chairperson Jay Fowler during Thursday’s meeting after a roughly 40-minute executive session where board members heard about the case.

Fowler, in a phone interview, said he thought the investigation into three of the officers was finished. He didn’t know the outcome in two of the cases and in the third case, he said, the officer resigned or retired.

The board expects to hear more details about the cases during the special meeting.

City ordinance prevents Fowler from providing any details about the case, and public details about the case are sparse.

Information included with Thursday’s agenda says the incident started with a Wichita police investigation into an alleged domestic violence case involving a Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office deputy on April 8, 2021.

“As part of the investigation, the deputy’s cell phone was seized and downloaded as part of a search warrant,” the agenda says. “It was learned that officers of the WPD had posted pictures on a text app conversation, which were unbecoming of an officer.”

Capt. Wendell Nicholson told the board he thought the incident involved 11 Wichita officers.

The board can’t take any definitive action; it can make recommendations.

The board was created to improve police relations with the community.