© Wichita Police
Furthermore, this bill prohibits a Kansas law enforcement agency from opening an investigation into a complaint if another law enforcement agency has already investigated the complaint and found in favor of the officer.
In other words, this bill would allow police departments to arrest the people who file complaints against police officers. In Wichita, Kansas, complaints are almost always dismissed, by the Wichita Police Department, so, according to this bill and its vague wording, the WPD, could now go arrest the people who file complaints against their officers.
Sometimes, we see news stories where bills are badly misrepresented. This is not one of those stories. Here is the full text of the bill:
Who actually authored this bill remains unclear, as the bill was introduced by the House Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice.
The Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution states, "No person shall be... deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law...." Filing a complaint is not testimony in a court of law, so this law is unconstitutional.
As complaints against law enforcement agencies usually proceed, those agencies investigate and deny any wrongdoing, of course, after which the complainants have the right to file lawsuits. In all courts of law, witnesses swear to "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" and can be prosecuted for perjury if they are later proven to have lied. So this law is unnecessary, as a complainant who files suit will be required to testify.