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Topeka police chief outlines short‑, mid‑ and long‑term plan emphasizing community engagement and violent‑crime focus
Summary
Chief presented a three‑phase plan that pairs data‑driven violent‑crime efforts with expanded community policing, a public dashboard, revamped academy training and pilot programs including a community police team and consideration of a CAHOOTS‑style mental‑health response.
Chief Ijo told the Topeka governing body on May 13 that his first months have been focused on reorganizing command and launching initiatives he described as short‑, mid‑ and long‑term to address violent crime while increasing community engagement.
The plan centers on a 60‑day initiative the department has called the “police and community team,” an outreach‑led violent‑crime effort, plus a public‑facing performance dashboard, changes to the training academy and steps to grow community police officers and traffic motor resources.
Why it matters: The chief framed the approach as balancing enforcement and community trust. “Balancing violent crime with community engagement. They’re not mutually exclusive,” he said. City officials and council members pressed the chief on details of staffing, recruitment and existing co‑responder programs.
The chief defined short‑term actions (under 12 months) as internal restructuring, a command retreat and a community input survey that drew roughly “about 260 responses,” which he said will inform a community‑policing policy. Midterm items (12–18 months) include a working group to build a public dashboard to publish key performance indicators and department demographics, an assessment of the training academy and expanded de‑escalation training. Longer‑term work includes an RTI International study of crime trends, grant seeking for technology and equipment, further collaboration with Washburn University and piloting additional community police officer (CPO) capacity.
Council members emphasized school resource officers, recruiting younger candidates and alternatives to traditional police responses for mental‑health calls. Several asked the chief to consider a CAHOOTS‑style program — a non‑sworn crisis response used elsewhere — and to distinguish it from the department’s current co‑responder behavioral health unit. The chief said the department already operates a behavioral health co‑responder model and that a separate CAHOOTS model — which excludes sworn officers as first responders — is something he is “definitely open to.”
On recruitment the chief said the department engages with youth and potential candidates, noting an encounter with an approximately 18‑year‑old recruit and describing outreach such as “meet the recruit night.” He said the department is short about 40 sworn positions and must prioritize where to place personnel to have the greatest citywide impact.
Council members requested early notice when department operational choices affect long‑standing external programs: the chief acknowledged he canceled a TCALC (training/education) officer contract and said staffing and violent‑crime priorities drove that decision. He told council he will provide rationale and be transparent about such choices.
The chief also proposed rebuilding the department’s public communications, including “meet the recruit” events, trained volunteer PIOs and more active media engagement after critical events.
The presentation prompted questions but no formal votes. Council members asked for follow‑up information on the survey response count, details on how a CAHOOTS model would integrate with existing services, and options to partner with Washburn University to expand recruitment pipelines.
Ending: The governing body did not take immediate action; council members said they expect regular follow‑ups and periodic reporting on metrics, recruitment outcomes and pilot projects.
