Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Accountability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Families, advocates press Topeka council for transparency and remedies in officer-involved shootings
Summary
Multiple family members and community advocates delivered public comments demanding records, depositions and acknowledgement related to officer-involved deaths in 2022 and subsequent years. Speakers called for city action to provide transparency, consider reparative remedies and prevent future harm.
Several family members of people killed in officer-involved incidents and community advocates urged the governing body to provide records, transparency and remedies related to multiple incidents dating from 2022.
"We're asking that you not just step over harm of the past," Sandra Lassiter said, representing families who lost loved ones in officer-involved incidents. She asked the city to seek depositions, evidence and photos and to meet with families to provide closure and accountability.
Lerona Lesseter Saunders told the council she and her daughter continue to live with the loss of their son; she described difficulty obtaining video and full transparency and urged the city to make records more accessible without forcing families into extended litigation.
Cortland Davis, a community advocate, told the council that families "deserve peace, healing, and above all, justice and the truth," and urged the governing body to find administrative pathways to release information and address community harms.
Council members acknowledged the comments and said staff and legal counsel would be involved in any records or investigatory steps; no specific actions or settlements were announced during the meeting.
