Police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in Wichita, Kansas
| Police hiring, training, and discipline |
|---|
|
| • Police collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) • Ballotpedia CBA dashboard •Reform proposals •CBA areas of inquiry and disagreement •Arguments about police collective bargaining • Index of articles about criminal justice policy |
| Click here for more analysis of police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements by state and city on Ballotpedia |
This page provides an overview of policies related to the hiring, training, and discipline of police officers in Wichita, Kan. It is part of an analysis of police union collective bargaining agreements and related arrangements with police unions concerning hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in the 50 states and top 100 cities by population.
Background
Through the lens of 40 research questions related to police hiring, training, and discipline, Ballotpedia examined the collective bargaining agreements, statutes, and regulatory codes governing the 50 states and the top 100 US cities by population.
Some of the hiring, training, and discipline standards for police officers not established by statutes or regulations arise from negotiations with police unions. Those negotiations are often codified in collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). Those agreements are the contracts that states and cities sign following negotiations with police unions. Some states and cities restrict collective bargaining, but may still negotiate with police unions using other methods. After negotiating with the unions, those jurisdictions sometimes establish police standards through documents including memoranda of understanding or meet and confer agreements.
Results
The tables below link to each question Ballotpedia used to analyze the states and cities and indicates how Wichita handles police hiring, training, and discipline. To see the provisions Ballotpedia used to support these results, click here.
CBA basics
| CBA basics | Results |
|---|---|
| Is there a CBA with the police union? | YES |
| Is the current CBA publicly available online? | YES |
Discipline and accountability
| Discipline and accountability | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to discipline for misconduct? | YES |
Primary discipline authority: City of Wichita, Police Department; Types: Documented verbal counseling, demotion, suspension, dismissal; Restricted aspects: N/A; Challenge/appeal process: Union grievance procedure, except for verbal warningsEmployee shall be informed in writing of non-criminal complaint within 4 days of complaint being assigned PBS number. Employee who is subject (either focus or witness) of investigatory interview has the right to union representation. Employees may substitute accrued paid vacation days in lieu of suspension, not to exceed 10 working days per calendar year. | |
| Do officers have a right to request third-party arbitration for grievances, including over disciplinary actions? | YES |
Condition: Disciplinary action can be subject to the grievance/arbitration procedure; Selection: Both parties agree on an arbitrator from a list provided of five or alternately strike names from that list; Provider: The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; Arbitrator authority: The arbitrator determines the rules of arbitrationDisciplinary action, excluding verbal warnings, may be subject to the grievance procedure. Appeals can be made to the Grievance Board, which includes a union appointee, a city appointee, and an arbitrator. The city bears the burden of proof in all disciplinary cases. | |
| Does the CBA forbid the transfer or reassignment of an officer as a form of discipline? | NO |
| Does the CBA explicitly allow for a state ombudsman outside particular police departments to hold law enforcement officers accountable for misconduct? | NO |
Legal limitations or provisions
| Legal limitations or provisions | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the city CBA prohibit felons from becoming law enforcement officers? | NO |
| Are there any statutes or regulations that prohibit collective bargaining with police unions? | NO |
Training and counseling
| Training and counseling | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA require law enforcement officers to take regular mental health training? | NO |
| Does the state/city CBA require law enforcement officers to do driving training regularly? | NO |
| Does the state/city CBA require law enforcement officers to do driving training regularly? | NO |
| Does the CBA require law enforcement officers to learn any martial arts? | NO |
| Does the CBA have provisions related to training with tasers or other nonlethal weapons? | NO |
| Does the CBA require law enforcement officers to submit to regular psychological counseling/evaluation? | NO |
| Does the CBA require or incentivize law enforcement officers to learn first aid skills? | NO |
| Does the CBA require or incentivize college or post-secondary education? | YES |
Police officers receive educational pay for a baccalaureate or master's degree | |
| Does the CBA have provisions related to firearms training? | YES |
Required/voluntary: Voluntary; Frequency: N/A; Type of training: Firing range | |
Community relations and oversight
| Community relations and oversight | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA have provisions related to community policing? | NO |
| Does the CBA reference citizen review boards? | NO |
Investigations
| Investigations | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to compensation during misconduct investigations? | YES |
An officer's rank, pay, and benefits lost will be restored if they are not found guilty following an investigation. | |
| Does the CBA determine a timeline for investigations? | NO |
| Does the CBA require notice to officers of investigations? | YES |
Conditions: Written notification; Timeline: Must be notified within 4 days of the complaint being received; Content: Must include "the factual details of the accusations of the misconduct, the order, regulation, policy or law, of any alleged violation; the names and addresses of all witnesses; and all other material facts known to the City and its employees." | |
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to misconduct investigations? | YES |
Disciplinary procedure and administrative investigation, not including criminal investigations Guidance not within the CBA for investigative procedures will be found in Supervisor's Manual. Article 13.3 states that department director shall establish a process for receipt, investigation, and determination of criminal complaints. | |
Evidence and records
| Evidence and records | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA regulate processes for retaining officer disciplinary records? | NO |
Record storage: State-run database; Storage authority: Human Resources Department; Types of records: Official discipline file; Timeline: N/A; Access and use: N/A; Use in decisions: N/A | |
| Does the CBA have provisions related to the use of body-worn cameras or body-worn camera video evidence? | NO |
Qualifications and evaluation
| Qualifications and evaluation | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments? | NO |
| Does the CBA require performance evaluations? | NO |
Union authority
| Union authority | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA have provisions involving the union in the process for promotions, unit assignments, and transfers? | YES |
City retains right to hire, promote, transfer, assign; Promotional procedures cannot be changed without written agreement of city and union | |
| Does the CBA give the union the power to approve or disapprove new training programs for law enforcement officers? | NO |
| Does the CBA limit union authority to pay and benefits issues? | NO |
See also
Footnotes
| |||||||||||||||||
