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Working in partnership with our community to deliver exceptional police services with professionalism and fairness.

File a Compliment/Complaint

If you wish to file a compliment/complaint against a Wichita Police Officer, you may file by email, phone, or in-person.

By Phone

You can call the Wichita Police Professional Standards at (316) 268-4256. The attendant will take your information, and an investigator will then call and set up an appointment.

In-Person

You can file a compliment/complaint in-person. Wichita Police Professional Standards is located at:

455 N Main - 4th Floor
Wichita, KS 67202

By Email

You can email the Wichita Police Professional Standards at ​ PoliceProfessionalStandards@wichita.gov.

We want to hear from you

Tell us your solutions to reimagine policing. We will evaluate each concern and suggestion.

Also, if you would like to commend an officer, we would like to hear that too.

Policy and Procedures

Recently, WPD has received many questions from media, community members, and stakeholders on WPD's training, practices, policies, and procedures. In response to these valid questions, WPD developed a comprehensive response to the community. To read the responses in its entirety, please download the 2020 WPD Response to the Community document.


Ban Choke Holds, Knee Holds and Strangleholds

WPD Policy and regulations specifically prohibit WPD officers from impeding normal breathing or blood circulation by applying pressure to the throat or neck unless lethal force is justified, or utilizing a baton or similar object as a choke hold for a containment or take down procedure. This is stated in WPD policy 906 and regulation 4.114.


De-Escalation Policy

WPD has implemented de-escalation language into its use-of-force policy 906. In 2016, WPD began focusing on de-escalation techniques to resolve situations without the use of force by utilizing time, distance, and communication. WPD has had significant success in using these techniques and diminishing, wherever possible, having to use force when dealing with those in crisis.


Duty to Intervene

WPD has revised its use-of-force policy to include a specific direction on duty to intervene. The language is stated in policy 906. Duty to intervene was incorporated into WPD training for both new and veteran officers since 2016.


Ban Shooting at Vehicles

WPD policy 906 prohibits shooting at moving vehicles and states: “Firearms shall not be discharged at a moving vehicle unless deadly force is necessary and exigent circumstances exist.” This is also trained to all WPD officers throughout their law enforcement careers.


Use of Force Continuum

WPD trains all of its officers on the use of force continuum which outlines clear rules of engagement corresponding to different levels of resistance. Use of force is described in detail in WPD policy 906.


Training

​All WPD recruits undergo a 24-week academy training before their additional field training upon graduation from the academy. The training hours provided for them at the Wichita Law Enforcement Training Center is well beyond the minimum required hours by the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC). KLETC requires a minimum of 572 training hours. WPD extends the requirement to 904 to complete the training academy.


Diversity & Engagement

Embedded social workers

WPD has sought grants and funding every year since 2016 to add embedded social workers into WPD to help with mental health-related calls. This opportunity became a reality this year in collaboration with the Department for Children and Families. Two social workers are now embedded within the police department, and they assist WPD in connecting families with public health programs for parent skill building, mental health or substance abuse services, and similar safety network supports.

Integrated Care Team-Co-Responder for Mental Health Crises

WPD has been part of the Integrated Care Team (ICT1) since its pilot inception in 2019. With increasing calls related to mental health, it was important to develop a team composed of law enforcement, paramedics and mental health professionals to assist those in crisis and allow patrol officers to be available for emergency calls. WPD was instrumental in seeking continual funding for this program, allowing it to continue after the 90 day pilot period last year. The efforts of this integrated team have positively impacted working with citizens in crisis and providing the best quality services to the community.

Community Liaison Positions

WPD created liaison positions with disenfranchised communities, including LBGTQ, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern Culture, Autism, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Mental Health, and homelessness. Additionally, WPD created a Hispanic/Latino advisory board.

WPD Homeless Outreach Team (HOT)

WPD created a HOT, which is responsible for responding to all 911 calls regarding homeless individuals or calls for service. The HOT focuses on trying to keep homeless citizens out of jail, if possible, and divert them to appropriate services or shelter. This team was deemed the best in practice in the nation by the Virginia Center for Policing Innovation (VCPI) after evaluating 50 police homeless outreach teams across the country in 2019.


Body Worn Cameras

WPD believes in and is committed to transparency between the police and the community. In efforts to be transparent, all WPD filed officers had received training and were equipped with body-worn cameras (BWC) by 2016. The BWC is utilized by officers to record their interactions between police and the community. The goals of the cameras are as follows:

Where We've Been and Where We're Going

In the last five years, we have actively sought to build upon ongoing dialogue around WPD policy and procedures. As a result of that dialogue, we have already implemented many significant policing reforms, including:

  • Fully implemented body cameras for all patrol officers and sergeants;
  • Renewed focus on diversity in the recruitment of police officers to the department;
  • Implemented duty to intervene training for all commissioned officers;
  • Significant changes made to how we interact with youth in gangs to better communicate and prevent gang involvement;
  • Regular meetings with the public to address concerns residents have with police-related issues;
  • Response changes to suicide threats with a weapon and suicide-by-cop incidents;
  • External investigation by another police agency for possible police criminal misconduct;
  • Refocus school resource officers (SRO) on coaching and mentoring and diverting youth from the criminal justice system;
  • Partnering with schools on restorative justice training for SROs;
  • Tripled the number of crisis negotiators since 2016 and trained 90 staff members on crisis negotiation to de-escalate and reduce need for use of force;
  • Significantly reduced the number of incarcerated youth;
  • Focused on using discretion for low-level traffic offenses and introduced warning tickets;
  • Added a focused deterrence program focusing on individuals most likely to be involved in violent crime and provided them resources through community partnerships;
  • Partnered with "See Something, Say Something" grassroots effort to help reduce community gun violence. A tip line is monitored by area clergy to intervene or collect tips on violent crime;
  • Partnered with Big Brothers and Big Sisters to have officers participating in "Bigs in Blue" where officers meet and mentor youth;
  • Changed policy to cite and release for possession of marijuana versus jailing;
  • Partnered with Wichita schools for police officer reading-to-kids programs;
  • Created a "God Squad" consisting of African American leaders of faith to share information and build partnerships in the community;
  • Co-founded the Youth Advocacy Coalition to create partnerships with community organizations that help Wichita's youth in an effort to help children curb violence, break the cycle of generational poverty, and improve their quality of life