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 the budget as well as collaboration and collegiality.
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 teeanger 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:
Doug Bedford (Republican)
The death of John Albers was an indescribable tragedy that I cannot relate to, and my heart goes out to his family after the shooting. Regarding the OICIT unit, I believe it is inherent in any investigation of that magnitude to remove the “involved” agency as quickly as possible. In doing this, the goal is to remove any biases that might be present with an agency investigating their own critical incident.
I was never a member of the OICIT unit, however, as the previous Undersheriff for the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office I know a number of the supervisors and members of the investigating group. With that, I believe any unit can always get better. I would recommend a closer examination for members selected to participate on the team, to ensure the group is comprised of the best qualified investigators to perform such a critical task.
Byron Roberson (Democratic)
I have received many more questions about my stance on common-sense gun laws. I’m proud to be the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate in this race. I have worked alongside Moms Demand Action to promote gun safety and oppose reckless gun law legislation and I will continue to do so as sheriff. As a law enforcement executive in the largest county in the state, I feel it’s my responsibility to speak from my perspective on how common-sense gun laws can improve public safety.
As far as the, Officer-Involved Critical Incident Investigation Team it is comprised of over sixty members from various departments in Johnson County that cover multiple disciplines of expertise in police investigations. The OICIIT is a premier investigative team that is structured to assure a thorough and complete investigation is conducted with transparency and impartiality in the criminal investigation of an officer involved critical incident. In law enforcement there is always room for improvement through education, collaboration and communication. I have collaborated with leadership at the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to gauge their ability to collaborate in training. I believe this will be possible due to continued relationships I have established throughout the region.
Coming up:
Tomorrow we will publish the candidates’ responses to the following question:
The sheriff’s office in recent years has dealt with the challenge of trying to fill dozens of vacant positions and also retain staff. To deal with these shortfalls, the sheriff’s office has had to sometimes pay current staff overtime. The sheriff’s office also routinely helps municipal police departments that are also short-staffed, stretching county resources even further. Readers say they want to know what your plans are for adequately staffing the sheriff’s department and paying sheriff’s office employees competitive salaries?
