Overland Park Police

Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez suddenly resigned last week after nine years in the position. As it turns out, the city of Overland Park had already begun the process of firing Donchez before he resigned.

Donchez became Overland Park’s Police Chief in October 2014. During his tenure, the police department was investigated by the FBI for the fatal police shooting of John Albers. Donchez came under fire for his handling of the case, leading to public calls for his resignation.

The investigation by the Office of the Disciplinary Administrator was opened following a complaint by Sheila Albers, whose teenage son John was shot and killed by Overland Park police in 2018.

Federal investigators did not find sufficient evidence that former Overland Park police officer Clayton Jenison willfully violated 17-year-old John Albers' constitutional rights when he shot and killed Albers. Jenison filed 13 shots into a minivan driven by Albers.

In January 2018, Overland Park police officer Clayton Jenison shot and killed 17-year-old John Albers as the teenager backed his family minivan out of his garage. The Washington Post has taken a deep dive into the ensuing investigation.

The incident happened early Sunday morning at Church of the Ascension. Police said a female suspect was seen running northbound from the scene.

Dozens of windows were smashed and items taken from cars in the Corbin Park area early Wednesday morning, one day after a similar string of break-ins in Grandview.

City Council veteran Curt Skoog will face off against political newcomer Mike Czinege in a race to choose a replacement for Carl Gerlach, who has been mayor for 16 years but decided to step down.

Narene Stokes, who lost her son to a shooting by a Kansas City police officer eight years ago, and Sheila Albers, whose son was killed three years ago by an Overland Park police officer, say “this can happen to anyone.”

Four candidates are competing to replace longtime mayor Carl Gerlach, who is not running for re-election. The top two vote-getters on Aug. 3 advance to the Nov. 2 general election.

The law enforcement license of Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez is no longer in jeopardy by state regulators.

Even though Johnson County no longer requires masks to be worn in public, local police departments maintain that reaching a peaceful resolution is preferable to arrests and charges.