A former Overland Park police officer on diversion after being charged with battery for allegedly striking his child can no longer work as a law enforcement officer in the state of Kansas.
Adam Vendetti resigned from the Overland Park Police Department in August 2024 after being charged in Johnson County District Court with misdemeanor battery. In his nearly 10 years with the department, he had worked as a school resource officer and received a Public Safety Distinguished Service Award.
Now, the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training has stripped him of his Kansas Law Enforcement Officer Certification.
According to the order issued last month, Vendetti has lost his certification because he “engaged in criminal activity constituting the crime of battery” and for failing to uphold the “good moral character” standard in Kansas state law for police officers.
Vendetti was charged with battery last year
Last summer, the Kansas Department for Children and Families received a hotline call after Vendetti dropped one of his children off at daycare with a bruise on their right cheek, according to a Johnson County Court affidavit. After Vendetti left, the child allegedly admitted to being slapped.
Initially, when interviewed by Olathe Police, Vendetti reportedly told them the bruise was caused when the child accidentally hit their head on their sibling’s head while playing on a slip-and-slide, and he denied striking the child.
Medical staff at Children’s Mercy Hospital refuted that, reporting that the “facial bruising appears more patterned and does not seem consistent with a singular impact to victim’s head,” per court documents.
Later, Vendetti allegedly admitted to slapping the child when they were on his lap.
“He admitted he hit (his child) in the side of (the) face,” court documents say. “He said he panicked when officers came to his home and told his children not to tell police what happened.”
In August 2024, Vendetti pleaded not guilty in Johnson County Court and requested a jury trial, but earlier this year, he “entered a diversion contract on the charge.” Diversion programs allow offenders to avoid a criminal conviction and usually come with some kind of rehabilitation and monitoring requirements.
Vendetti loses certification after misdemeanor diversion
The commission determined on Aug. 12 in a Summary Order of Revocation that Vendetti no longer maintained the “minimum requirements for certification,” citing both the battery allegation and the “good moral character” standard.
Kansas statutes renders individuals ineligible for law enforcement service once they are convicted of a felony crime or misdemeanors related to domestic violence or that otherwise “reflects on the honesty, trustworthiness, integrity or competence” of an officer.
Additionally, the law also says an officer is ineligible for service if they “engage in conduct … that would constitute battery,” and it considers a diversion agreement tied to domestic violence or some misdemeanor offenses sufficient to revoke an officer’s certification.
As such, the commission determined that Vendetti “fails to meet and maintain the requirements” required of police officers in Kansas.
On top of the findings related to statutory obligations for police officer standards, the commission also found that Vendetti’s “conduct shows that he has failed to maintain good moral character sufficient to warrant the public trust in him as a law enforcement officer.”
After the ruling, Vendetti was instructed “to surrender and return to the Commission all evidence of his certification as a law enforcement officer.”
Looking back: Former Overland Park police officer charged with battery
