Prosecutor hires former Kansas City police sergeant to examine use-of-force cases
A former police sergeant has been hired by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office to examine police use-of-force cases and alleged wrongful convictions, according to a news release.
Sgt. Tony Sanders, a 28-year veteran of the Kansas City Police Department, began work as an investigator at the prosecutor’s office this week, Michael Mansur, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, said in the Wednesday release.
“I’m extremely thrilled to have an investigator on board who is so uniquely qualified,” Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in the release. “This work will be crucial to rebuilding the community’s trust in law enforcement.”
While at the police department, Sanders’ work included investigations, hostage negotiations, media relations and administrative duties.
“Sanders worked extensively with city, state and national groups, citizens and the media to build networks, disseminate information and promote goodwill between KCPD and the community,” Mansur said.
In addition to examining possible wrongful conviction cases, Sanders’ work will include reviewing numerous allegations of police misconduct submitted by the community, Baker said in the release.
Following the protests in June, the prosecutor’s office created a website where community members could submit allegations and evidence of police misconduct.
“We have heard an outpouring of concern about police conduct related to the recent protests in Kansas City,” Baker said last summer. “We needed to give citizens easy access to the system to report those concerns.”
Sanders is also a founding member of the Kansas City Police Historical Society, of which he is a past president.
“I look forward to the opportunity to continue my long-standing career in serving this Community,” Sanders said in the release.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 9:13 AM.
