KHP Aviation Unit under investigation

The administration of Governor Laura Kelly confirmed the establishment of an inquiry on Friday 31 December. The impetus for the inquiry was summarised in two letters sent to the Kansas Legislature, which raised questions about the use of resources by KHP’s Troop T.

Concerns outlined in the letters included the accumulation of ‘unnecessary certifications’ by KHP personnel, such as night vision goggle instruction, which were deemed to be ‘more useful to a pilot in a future job, rather than on behalf of the highway patrol’, according to a report by local radio station KSAL.

The letters also noted that at one point, 85 per cent of KHP flights recorded were for training, rather than law enforcement activities or the transportation of state officials.

The letters also asserted that KHP aircraft had been used as casual transport by KHP employees – including being used to shuttle agency employees to restaurants in the Kansas City area, and in one case, being landed in a pilot’s back yard.

KSAL added that the initial letter to legislators about issues with the aviation unit was reportedly written by a ‘state employee and concerned taxpayer’ who ‘sought anonymity for fear of retaliation’.

The KHP aviation unit has been advocating for the approval of state funding to buy two new helicopters and one Citation jet, worth around US$16 million. The agency claimed that the purchases would approve its ability to conduct operations, despite enforcement activities only accounting for around 40 per cent of its total operations.