Wichita approves $235,000-plus contract for Lexipol police policy management to support accreditation

The Wichita City Council on Feb. 15 approved a contract to adopt Lexipol policy-management software for the Wichita Police Department to centralize and speed reviews of departmental policies and support the department’s work toward state accreditation.

The measure authorizes a one-time 2025 implementation cost of $108,000 and an annual recurring payment of $127,253 for Lexipol services, which the department says are included in the police 2025 adopted budget and require no additional city funding.

City officials said the department currently relies on a largely manual review process managed by a single employee who also handles several other duties. Captain Aaron Moses, Wichita Police Department accreditation manager, told the council that the manual workflow causes delays, leaves no reliable record that employees have reviewed updates, and can produce conflicting policy language that complicates operations and legal compliance. “There is no mechanism in place to ensure that staff review that updated policy, acknowledge the content of that policy, and that is not and there's no tracking mechanism to go back later on and see if that actually occurred,” Moses said.

The city described the purchase as using an intergovernmental cooperative contract properly authorized under city purchasing rules. Moses said staff included the Law and IT departments in software demonstrations and that Lexipol has integrated Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center accreditation standards into its content, which staff expects to speed the department’s accreditation work. “Implementation ... includes a comprehensive cross reference of our current policy manual with Lexipol suggested content,” Moses said.

During public comment, Twila Purdy, who said she serves on the Citizens Review Board, asked whether Lexipol aligns with guidance from civil liberties groups, whether the cost is fixed, how the product will interface with existing systems and whether employees will have quick access in the field. Moses said recurring costs are fixed based on the number of commissioned officers, the system can be embedded or linked from the city website, and Lexipol offers a phone application for quick access and tracking.

The contract drew no council opposition and passed on a roll call vote of seven to zero.

City staff said anticipated benefits include clearer, non‑conflicting policy language; automated case-law updates; and documentation that employees have read and acknowledged changes. The police department also noted Lexipol offers optional “daily training” features for scenario-based refreshers, which Moses said would be pursued later in implementation.

The council approved the contract and authorized the necessary signatures; the Law Department reviewed the contract and the purchasing manager’s use of the cooperative procurement.

If implementation proceeds as described, staff will cross‑reference Wichita’s existing policies with Lexipol content, publish updated policies online and use Lexipol support to prepare accreditation proofs for the Kansas program.