Month: December 2022

Kobach nominates former federal prosecutor to serve as KBI director

by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector


Topeka — Attorney General-elect Kris Kobach said Tuesday he would nominate a former Republican rival to be director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
Kobach, who won a three-person primary before narrowly winning election in November, said he would seek Kansas Senate confirmation of Tony Mattivi, who served as an assistant U.S. attorney for 20 years before retiring in 2020. Mattivi was among three candidates in the GOP primary.


“Tony Mattivi is a highly qualified public safety professional with decades of experience working with law enforcement to put away some of the nation’s most violent and dangerous offenders,” Kobach said.


Kobach said that while on the campaign trail he realized Mattivi was valued by Kansas law enforcement officers and would “make him a perfect fit to lead” the KBI.


The director’s job opened after Kirk Thompson announced plans to retire. Thompson was appointed by Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who will leave the office in January. Schmidt lost a campaign for governor to Democrat Laura Kelly.


“I’ve worked alongside the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for three decades, and I know it is a crown jewel of Kansas law enforcement,” Mattivi said.


In the U.S. Department of Justice, Mattivi prosecuted the al-Qaida mastermind behind the USS Cole bombing in Yemen in 2000. He also prosecuted former U.S. Marine Lee Loewen, who attempted to detonate a van filled with explosives in Wichita on behalf of al-Qaida.


In addition, Mattivi was involved in the 2018 conviction of three men from southwest Kansas who conspired to bomb an apartment complex in Garden City where Muslim immigrants resided.


He previously worked in the office of the attorney general and the Shawnee County District Attorney’s office before he was hired by the federal government. He earned a law degree at Washburn University in Topeka.


Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.


See more at https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kobach-nominates-former-federal-prosecutor-to-serve-as-kbi-director/

Expungement fair taking place

An expungement fair started Wednesday, Dec. 14, and is continuing on Thursday for those who want to have past convictions taken off their record.


The event is from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the Kansas City Kansas Community College Technical Center, 6565 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.


The fourth annual expungement fair is sponsored by the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office. There are a number of requirements to be met for a case to be expunged.

KCK school board approves cadet corrections program


by Mary Rupert


The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education on Tuesday night approved a cadet corrections program that would allow high school seniors to work in the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department.


The program needs joint approval of the school board and the Unified Government.


The program’s goal is to prepare students for a career in the corrections field.
In the program, cadets will be in training to eventually become a correctional specialist. It is a one semester program.


There are a number of tests and screenings that students must take to qualify for the program, as outlined in the agreement.


Students will be in the program two days a week.


Up to 10 part-time positions will be available for a term not to exceed six months, according to the agreement. Up to 300 hours of education and
training will be provided.

At graduation, the student will be eligible for full-time employment with the Sheriff’s Office.


At a Monday night UG standing committee meeting, it was stated that there are currently two students in the program.

The UG also heard about another program to involve high school students at its Monday meeting.

A similar program for 911 call takers was discussed.

In a partnership with the KCK Public Schools, the 911 call takers would be high school seniors in training for a career, according to police officials who spoke at the UG meeting.

A 320-hour curriculum that is structured would include a number of certifications the students could receive, eventually leading to a job at the
communications center.


This program would begin in the spring of 2024, and eventually it would branch out to engage with other high schools in Wyandotte County, according to the plan.


The students would be paid around $15 an hour.


Students also would be graded, with grades counting toward their graduation.


UG Commissioner Christian Ramirez supported the program, saying it was important to get students involved early while in high school.


Currently this program could accommodate up to four students, according to the police department. It’s starting as a pilot project.


Commissioner Harold Johnson said eventually it could be expanded to all schools.


Commissioner Mike Kane said they’ve been working on the project a long time, and he hoped to open the program to other districts in Wyandotte County.


Assistant County Administrator Bridgette Cobbins said the program originally was the idea of KCK Police Chief Karl Oakman, who met with the commission and described his ideas, including working closely with the Kansas City, Kansas, School District for implementing student career programs.


To reach Mary Rupert, editor of Wyandotte Daily, email [email protected].