Kansas criminal justice

A major breach of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department reveals for the first time, a list of alleged officer misconduct including dishonesty, sexual harassment, excessive force, and false arrest.

The texts between Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody and a restaurant owner were allegedly deleted amid widespread scrutiny of the chief's August 2023 raids of the Marion County Record newspaper and the homes of the paper's owners.

The KBI is investigating what happened to a cross-country runner at Dodge City Community College. Delia Montes is in critical condition in a Wichita hospital.

This saga began in March 2021 when Geary County sheriff's deputy Bradley Rose pulled over a motorist on Interstate 70 because he noticed half of the word "Illinois" couldn't be easily read on the tag. But a unanimous Kansas Supreme Court said that wasn't enough to qualify as reasonable suspicion of a crime.

A Wyandotte County judge agreed with criticisms of the death penalty, but he said the case was invalid because both defendants no longer face capital punishment.

A proposed state constitutional amendment would require Kansas Supreme Court justices to be elected rather than appointed by the governor.

28-year-old Natalie Zarate spent two decades working towards becoming a citizen after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally as a child. Except now she worries that the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to crack down on immigration and end birthright citizenship could endanger her and her family.

Republicans in the Kansas Legislature are pushing a resolution that would put a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot in August 2026, that would require Kansas Supreme Court justices to be elected by the popular vote.

Kansas is facing a crisis when it comes to defending accused criminals who cannot afford their own attorneys. A shrinking number of rural attorneys is making it harder. If the problem is not addressed there is a risk that courts will throw out criminal cases.

The Kansas Legislature didn’t approve money for additional public defenders, but it did support pay raises.