Brownback signs bill to enable Kansas officers to seek out-of-state help

Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a bill to empower Kansas law enforcement agencies to seek assistance from out-of-state police.

HB 2549, which the governor signed Monday, is meant to enable greater cooperation between Kansas law enforcement agencies and law enforcement agencies from neighboring states for both sudden incidents and longer-term investigations.

The legislation is partly a reaction to the 2014 shootings at a Jewish community center and retirement home near the Kansas-Missouri border, which claimed three lives.

The new law, which takes effect upon publication in the Kansas Register, would allow out-of-state officers to make arrests in Kansas when called for assistance and then deliver the suspect to the first available officer from the appropriate jurisdiction.

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 1:02 PM with the headline "Brownback signs bill to enable Kansas officers to seek out-of-state help."