Four Overland Park police officers at center of DA audit over misused funds resign

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The four Overland Park police officers at the center of an audit over misused funds while acting as Overland Park Police Officers Foundation Board members have resigned.

The City of Overland Park stated the police officers resigned Friday effective immediately.

“There is no settlement or resignation agreement associated with any of these resignations. Their resignations were not accepted in lieu of termination but were submitted while the officers were under investigation,” the City stated.

The Johnson County District Attorney’s office stated in May 2022 that it was reviewing audit findings from the foundation over questions about how funds were being disbursed and spent. The officers were placed on administrative leave at the time the audit was announced.

Throughout an 18-page finding released by the Johnson County DA’s Office, prosecutors laid out how former Overland Park Police Officer Foundation Board members personally received thousands of dollars in scholarship funds and officer assistance donations for themselves. However, because the bylaws were broadly written and could be informally changed, the actions couldn’t be linked to criminal behavior.

Despite their own bylaws requiring foundation records and minutes of meetings being held by the board be maintained, the Johnson County DA could not find any track of those documents or recordings to show how the former board members made decisions on foundation funds. Plus, all data from their work devices given to prosecutors by the foundation’s new board members was wiped out.

The City of Overland Park stated Friday afternoon that it has not yet finished its investigation into whether the officers had violated policy.