law enforcement

Kansas lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's veto to force the bill into law. Republican leaders say it's intended to prevent "radical protesters" from interfering with law enforcement or ICE actions. But press advocates say it's unconstitutional.

Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a law last year that took direct control of the police department away from the mayor’s office and shifted it to a board mostly appointed by the governor. It's similar to the system in place in Kansas City, which itself has been the subject of multiple lawsuits.

Both Republicans and Democrats voted against a bill aimed at reviving Missouri’s Second Amendment Preservation Act, which would ban the enforcement of federal gun restrictions. The U.S. Supreme Court denied Missouri's attempt to revive the law.

A Syracuse University researcher says new ICE agreements spreading across Missouri will shift immigration enforcement onto local police — with possible consequences for towns and taxpayers.

More local law enforcement agencies are signing agreements with federal immigration agencies, bringing in new revenue for the departments, at the potential risk of community relationships. The agreements mean that even minor infractions like driving tickets have the potential to result in deportation.

Ex-Florissant officer Julian Alcala admitted that he pulled over victims for minor traffic violations, then searched through their phones and sent intimate photos and videos to his own phone.

Multiple Kansas law enforcement organizations came out against the bill. They want stiff penalties for crimes using weapons like short-barreled shotguns and guns with suppressors.

Despite cries that it was “performative politics,” Chair Manny Abarca said the plan puts the county on record as opposing “the caging of people.” A second measure that would have barred federal immigration agents from wearing masks was held for legal concerns.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe commended state agents who responded to the shootings, and spoke of supporting the families of the fallen officers. The suspect was recently out on bail, when a traffic stop turned fatal and led to a nine-hour manhunt and shootout.

A 37-year-old mother of three, Renee Nicole Macklin Good had recently moved to Minnesota from Kansas City, Missouri. Protests erupted in Minneapolis on Wednesday after ICE agents fatally shot Good inside her car.

Missouri's governor recently authorized the state's National Guard to assist ICE with clerical duties. Black police officers fear the trust they've built with communities of color could take years to rebuild.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office signed a formal agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to issue 48-hour detainers for people held in the county jail. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and more than a dozen sheriff's departments have signed similar deals.