Overland Park had started the process of firing Police Chief Frank Donchez last week when he resigned abruptly.
That’s according to a city statement shared with the Post earlier this week. In that statement, the city says City Manager Lori Curtis Luther “began the termination process” after confirming with Donchez the details of a conversation the night of Monday, Sept. 11 that he had with Sheila Albers, the mother of a teenager who was shot and killed by an Overland Park police officer in 2018.
The city’s statement notes that Curtis Luther “considers the conversation Donchez had, while on duty and acting in his official role, with Sheila Albers on Monday night to be inappropriate and grounds for termination.”
The city says Donchez then resigned after the city manager moved to fire him.
Donchez claimed his resignation was for personal reasons
Last week, the Washington Post reported that Donchez said he was resigning for personal reasons.
“Absolutely. I resigned, I’ve got a lot of things going on back home in Pennsylvania and that is drawing me back home, to be with family,” Donchez told the Washington Post.
The city’s most recent statement contradicts that claim.
City has been unusually open about Donchez’s departure
Overland Park announced Donchez’s resignation last Tuesday in the evening. The city said, at the time, it would not provide further updates.
However, less than 24 hours later, it shared the details of the conversation between Donchez and Albers with local media. Overland Park had not originally expressly connected the conversation with Albers and Donchez’s departure.
Later, the city released even more information, asserting that Donchez sent in his resignation after the city had started to fire him.
“In order to protect the privacy of our employees, it is not the City’s typical practice to release personnel information,” Overland Park’s Communications Manager Meg Ralph said in an email. She noted that Donchez had “spoken publicly” about his departure, so the city decided to provide “additional information.”
Albers and Donchez clashed last Monday
In an email Albers sent to Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog and Curtis Luther last week, she detailed what she described as a “heated” conversation she had with Donchez at the Overland Park City Council meeting on Monday.
In Albers’ email, she says Donchez came over to “engage” with her over the 30×30 Initiative, a pledge Overland Park has taken to bring the police force up to 30% female by 2030. He wanted to have a “dialogue” with her, but she said she “could not have a dialogue with someone who I do not believe in and do not trust.”
The conversation lasted some time longer, with Albers saying she “pushed Donchez hard on the lies he told.” She said he asked her if she had ever lied before.
Albers alleges that Donchez also said, “I am sure you and Steve (Albers’ husband) tell everyone you were the best parents. I read the [Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Team] report.”
She said she acknowledged her son’s struggle with his mental health leading up to the shooting.
By Albers’ account, Donchez replied “And you left him in his time of need.”
Donchez faced criticism during his time as Overland Park’s chief
Donchez was Overland Park’s police chief for nearly a decade, coming to the department from Davenport, Iowa, in 2014.
Since 2018, Albers has publicly criticized Donchez for his handling of Officer Clayton Jenison, who shot and killed her son John Albers after the police were called to the family’s home. One of John’s friends had called 911 because he was threatening suicide on social media that night in January.
Other members of the public have also accused Donchez of being dishonest in statements he made following John Albers’ killing, especially about the terms of Jenison’s separation from the department in the weeks that followed.
Two years ago, some community members called for Donchez’s removal from his post. At that time, a collection of Kansas City faith organizations took issue with how the department dealt with the aftermath of John Albers’ killing and police treatment of protesters the year prior.
What’s next for Overland Park?
- Deputy Chief Simon Happer will serve as the interim police chief for Overland Park.
- The city intends to launch a national search to find a permanent replacement for Donchez. The timeline, at this time, is unclear.
- “Overland Park residents and businesses demand and deserve the utmost professionalism in its policing and safety in our community,” the city’s most recent statement said. “The City will continue to focus on delivering the highest quality services.”
Looking back: Overland Park police chief had run-in with Sheila Albers night before resignation, email says
