fbpx

District attorney candidates on the issues: Officer-involved shootings

Earlier this summer, the Post asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear candidates in contested races address leading up to the Nov. 5. election.

Based on that feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire centering the issues most important to residents across Johnson County.

Each day this week, we’ll publish the candidates’ responses to one question. Read the candidates’ responses to the previous question about staffing.

Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:

Johnson County’s Officer Involved Critical Incident Investigation Team, or OICIIT, currently investigates all Johnson County officer-involved shootings. The county’s OICIIT process has come under scrutiny in recent years, particularly for the investigation into the 2018 fatal shooting of teenager John Albers in Overland Park. Do you think OICIIT currently accomplishes its stated mission of conducting impartial and transparent investigations? What changes or improvements, if any, would you like to see?

Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on the issue:

Vanessa Riebli (Democratic)

Officer-involved shootings cases demand the highest level of accountability, impartiality, and transparency. The District Attorney’s Office can and must do better.

In my private practice I have represented clients on both sides of the OICITT process, including a police officer who fired his weapon during a hostage situation and a combat veteran who during a mental health crisis attempted suicide and was subsequently charged by the District Attorney’s Office with a felony.  Through these cases and other sources of information, I see  opportunities for improvement. The District Attorney’s Office should:

Never miss a story
about your community
See for yourself why more than 50,000 Johnson Countians signed up for our newsletter.
Get our latest headlines delivered for FREE to your inbox each weekday.
  1. Conduct annual training with OICIIT which will include case law and statutory updates on use of force and self defense cases as well as best practices related to the investigation of officer-involved shooting cases (we know there was at least a three-year gap in training conducted by the District Attorney’s Office from 2019-2022, which is unacceptable for these types of cases);
  2. Review the reporting process to ensure that reports are completed pursuant to current best practices and include all relevant evidence;
  3. Release body cam footage in a timely manner and pursuant to Kansas law;
  4. Require members of OICIIT to obtain Force Science certification;
  5. Review the interview techniques used by OICIIT when conducting interviews of the police officer to ensure a fair and impartial investigation;
  6. Improve the speed and completeness of how discovery is disseminated in these cases to defense counsel;
  7. Make case decisions in a more timely manner than the current District Attorney, using all available evidence (something that did not occur in the Albers case) and;
  8. Periodically review recruitment and retention standards of team members.

Additionally,  I will designate approximately three other prosecutors, in addition to myself,  who will be assigned to these cases and who will be required to attend training specific to the officer-involved shooting cases including best practices, use of force, self defense, de-escalation, and Force Science training.

Steve Howe (Republican, incumbent)

Johnson County was one of the first jurisdictions to require an independent investigation by outside agencies in instances of officer involved shootings. In each case I prepare a written summary of the facts and law used to support my decision. I have also made myself available to the media in press conferences and answered all questions posed to me. Body or in car camera footage is shown.

Prior to any press conference, we meet with each family to provide them the results of the investigation and answer their questions. They are given an opportunity to view body/car camera footage of the incident. All of these steps are considered best practices in handling these incidents.

Coming up:

Tomorrow we will publish the candidates’ responses to the following question:

The Johnson County District Attorney’s office currently runs diversion programs for both adult and juvenile offenders meant to give people who have committed relatively minor crimes an alternative to incarceration. As District Attorney, what will be your approach towards offering defendants an opportunity at diversion? Do you think the current programs offered are adequate or would you like to see them tweaked or expanded in any way?

About the author

Staff Report
Staff Report

Staff reports are generally produced by one or more members of the Johnson County Post newsroom using information provided by a source or organization, typically in the form of a press release. The “Staff report” byline tends to indicate that little or no additional reporting has been done.

The “Staff report” byline is also used for housekeeping items on occasion.

LATEST HEADLINES