Overland Park police change how body-camera footage is released
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Policy lets Overland Park proactively seek public release of body-camera footage.
- Release needs consensus of chief/designee, county DA, city management and counsel.
- Policy aims to boost transparency amid high denial rates for video requests.
The Overland Park Police Department has changed how it will release body-worn camera footage from officer-involved shootings and use-of-force incidents, a break from long-standing practice in Kansas.
The policy change is part of an effort by the Police Department to promote transparency with the community and create new protocols designed to make footage of events more readily available to the public.
Police Chief Doreen Jokerst said allegations of officer misconduct would not be a factor in her decision whether to release a body-worn camera video.
“Trust is the foundation of effective policing,” Jokerst said in a news release announcing the policy change. “We recognize that in moments of crisis, the community expects and deserves clarity.”
She said the new policy, “is a proactive step toward meeting those expectations, ensuring we remain accountable to the community we serve while protecting the integrity of the judicial process.”
For Shelia Albers, the change has been long overdue.
Albers’ son John was 17 when he was shot and killed by an Overland Park police officer in 2018. Albers has since become an advocate for police transparency and accountability.
“Both Chief (Doreen) Jokerst in Overland Park and Chief (Chris) Vallejo in Topeka have taken historic, monumental steps in the right direction when it comes to transparency and accountability this week,” Albers said. “It is long overdue in Kansas that we get in the habit of releasing body-worn camera footage when there has been a lethal use-of-force.”
For video footage to be released, a consensus must be reached between the police chief or designee, the Johnson County district attorney’s office, city management and their public safety attorney. The policy does not specify what happens if consensus is not reached or whether agreement requires all parties or a majority.
“The existence of an ongoing investigation into misconduct shall not be used as the sole determining factor to not release body-worn camera footage, as doing so would create a blanket exception to releasing footage; thereby undermining the transparency and accountability functions,” according to the policy.
The Police Department invited Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe and a representative from the American Civil Liberties Union to weigh in on the change.
“The new body-worn camera policy in Overland Park, while not perfect, marks an important step forward in protecting civil rights and liberties and promoting transparency both in that city and the State of Kansas, and we hope other departments will continue to build upon that effort,” Chad Marlowe, ACLU senior policy counsel, said in the release.
The new policy is a shift in how Kansas law enforcement agencies have traditionally handled releasing footage from use-of-force incidents, which allows considerable discretion in how and when videos are released.
A 2024 investigation by The Star found that from 2019 to 2023, police officers fatally shot 47 people, with officers being cleared of charges in every case. When seeking out the footage through open records requests, requests for video were denied 67 percent of the time.
This story was originally published February 5, 2026 at 3:53 PM.
