Family of John Albers waits for lawyer before viewing Overland Park shooting report
The parents of John Albers, the teenager who was fatally shot by an Overland Park police officer in 2018, said they plan to review an investigative report on the incident as soon as their attorney is available to accompany them.
Sheila Albers said she and her husband Steve received an email about 9 p.m. Monday from an attorney representing the city, asking them to view the report at the lawyer’s office.
The invitation came about a half-hour after the city announced it would release a report on the shooting this week after the Albers family had a chance to read it. It also came hours after a protest at City Hall calling for the firing of Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez.
The report would be the latest document made public after a Johnson County judge in March ordered the release of a severance agreement for Clayton Jenison, the former officer who shot Albers.
Sheila Albers has for years called for more information about the shooting to be made public.
In January, 41 Action News, or KSHB, sued the city for the release of the investigate file from the shooting.
But it was unclear if the report the city announced it would release was the whole investigative file or another type of report. And, Sheila Albers said Tuesday, she felt like the city was pressuring her to view the report as soon as possible, even though the family’s attorney was not immediately available to go with them.
Sean Reilly, a spokesman for the city, declined to specify what type of document the city planned to release. And in response to questions about Sheila Albers being rushed, Reilly said: “I don’t know anything about that.”
The announcement Monday of the report’s release also said it would include redactions.
“Continuing to withhold the Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Team report has become an obstacle to restoring the community’s trust and confidence in the City of Overland Park, its officials, and the Overland Park Police Department,” the city’s statement said.
The parties on Tuesday were still making arrangements for the Albers’ to view the report.
“Government is supposed to be serving people and there’s no way to know if our government is acting on our behalf if they’re not transparent,” Sheila Albers said Tuesday.
A lack of transparency “causes people to say ‘Well what are you hiding?’” she said. “And that doesn’t create a healthy community.”
John Albers was 17 years old when Jenison, then an officer with the Overland Park Police Department, shot the teen as he backed the family vehicle out of the driveway of his family’s home in January 2018.
Police had been called for a welfare check on the teen, who was believed to be suicidal. The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office reviewed the investigation and ruled the shooting justified.
In June 2019, Sheila Albers discovered Jenison had been paid $70,000 before resigning from the department.
Last year, The Star filed a lawsuit to obtain the severance agreement. The agreement showed Overland Park police reported to the state agency on law enforcement certification that Jenison’s departure was a “voluntary resignation under ordinary circumstances.”
Sheila Albers filed a complaint with the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, alleging that Donchez committed perjury on the form submitted to the commission.
The teen’s killing is also the subject of an investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
