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1. Who polices the police in Riley County?

The Riley County Police Department recognizes its responsibility to both itself and the public to thoroughly investigate all complaints of misconduct brought against members of the department. To accomplish this task the department has implemented an internal investigation procedure that provides for a diligent and systematic inquiry of complaints received. 

The Internal Affairs Investigation results are reported quarterly to the Law Board during public meetings and the annual report is posted on the department’s website here.

The Riley County Police Department has proactively provided this information for several years dating back to 2012. When evidence of criminal conduct is found, it is referred to others law enforcement agencies for investigation.

It is by the internal affair process that complaints are investigated to determine if policy violations occurred. If so, corrective measures are used to ensure quality law enforcement and preserve the community’s confidence in the department. The Riley County Police Department explicitly prohibits any form of biased-based behavior by any of its employees. 

If citizens are dissatisfied with the results of a biased-based policing internal investigation they have the option the option of filing a complaint with the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.  You can find more information here. 

The Attorney General’s Office publishes statistics on the number of biased-based or racial profiling complaints made with every Kansas law enforcement agency. Each agency is required by law to submit this information annually.

The Department's Internal Affairs Office investigates citizen complaints regarding police department personnel or policies. A positive relationship between the police and the public they serve, fostered by confidence and trust is essential to effective law enforcement.

The Riley County Police Department welcomes criticism of the department and valid complaints against its members or procedures. The purpose of the Internal Affairs function is to ensure complete, fair, and impartial investigations of citizen complaints.

To see how the process works, go here.

The Riley County Police Department was formed in 1974. The founding statutes contained provisions that provide for oversight of RCPD by the Riley County Law Enforcement Agency – what is commonly referred to as the “Law Board.” The Law Board is comprised of seven individuals who represent various constituencies in Riley County.

The Law Board is responsible for the enforcement of law and the providing of police protection and is authorized (in part) to: Appoint and establish the salary and compensation of the Director; Determine the number of personnel positions within the agency; Hear and affirm or revoke the suspension or dismissal of law enforcement officers; Establish salaries for personnel; Authorize the acquisition of equipment and supplies necessary to operate the department; Adopt an annual budget and certify same to the Riley County Board of County Commissioners and Manhattan City Commission; Authorize expenditures; Adopt rules and regulations necessary for the operation of the Department; and perform other duties as provided by law.

The Law Board typically meets at noon in the Manhattan’s City Commission meeting room at 11th and Poyntz on the third Monday of each month, except when that Monday is a legal holiday. In those instances, the meeting is generally held on the following day at noon. Special meetings are also occasionally scheduled and advertised well in advance to address non-routine issues. All members of the public are invited to attend and an opportunity for public comment is scheduled during each meeting. Accommodations are available for individuals with disabilities.

Law Board meetings are live-streamed on our Facebook page here.

Read about current Law Board Members or find more information on this page. 

2. Do Riley County Officers have the opportunity to go to counseling?

The Riley County Police Department offers employee wellness programs to help employees improve their physical and mental health. Among them are the internal Peer Support Program and vendor-provided Employee Assistance Program.

We recognize that employees are the most valuable assets to RCPD and have a direct impact on the success of the agency. The Department is dedicated to having a successful workplace and strives to increase the well-being and productivity of all employees, through the enhancement of all aspects of health.

Peer Support Program: The Riley County Police Department’s Peer Support Program is designed to provide confidential emotional support during and after times of personal or professional crisis to employees and their family members who express a need for assistance. The program promotes trust, allows for anonymity, and preserves confidentiality for all members utilizing the program. 

The Peer Support Program participates in the Riley County Police Department’s comprehensive response to an officer-involved shooting, critical incidents, or any other potentially traumatic event.

Peer Support Team Members are required to attend a 40-hour training specific to Peer Support Groups/Programs. They provide emotional support and guidance but do not replace counselors, therapists, or psychologists nor do they replace outreach programs that are available to the department and its employees.

The program is comprised of one program manager, one peer support clinician, and team members consisting of a maximum of 10% of the employee population (presently 12 members). Membership is composed of sworn and non-sworn personnel who are officially designated by the Director after a structured selection process. 

Employee Assistance Program: The Riley County Police Department offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to all employees and their family members. The program is designed to assist in identifying and resolving a variety of concerns or issues that may adversely affect an employee’s personal or professional well-being or job performance or to simply provide resources to improve an employee’s quality of life. The resource topics offered by the program include wellness, relationships, work and education, financial, legal, lifestyle, and home and auto.

In addition to the above-mentioned programs, the department provides critical incident debriefs to employees following a traumatic event, death or abuse of a child, disfigurement injuries, officer-involved shooting, etc.

RCPD Department Chaplin: The Riley County Police Department Chaplain Program is comprised of professional clergy members who volunteer their services to the department, incarcerated individuals, and members of the community during times of crisis or conflict. Police Chaplains are on-call 24 hours a day to assist police officers with a variety of situations in the field such as death notifications, lost or missing persons, and suicides. With respect to death notifications, the chaplain may stay behind to speak with the family regarding the tragedy and provide resources to help them with funeral arrangements. Police Chaplains may also be requested to assist with crisis intervention, and respond to major incidents/disasters such as multiple injury vehicle accidents and officer-involved shootings. They provide support to RCPD personnel following such incidents or difficult calls. The Chaplains are familiar faces that employees feel they can easily confide in.

Lewis Smith is the primary Chaplain for the RCPD and oversees the program. He and fellow Police Chaplains provide support to employees of RCPD, their families, and those incarcerated.

3. What steps are being taken to recruit and retain more Black and Hispanic police officers?

The RCPD is committed to enhancing diversity within the police ranks. This diversity includes not only Black and Hispanic applicants, but also women and other minorities. 

If citizens believe in us, we need people in our community to advocate for the police department and join us. We want diversity, we need diversity, we welcome diversity, and we believe diversity will make us an even better department.

We are lucky to have a multicultural community thanks to Fort Riley and Kansas State University. The Riley County Police Department is in the process of building relationships at K-State and Fort Riley with the hopes of giving talks at groups/classes and participating in specialty events. Police, Corrections, and Dispatch attend recruiting events in Manhattan, at K-State, and Fort Riley. We have recently extended our recruiting presence to colleges in Western Kansas in an attempt to recruit and retain Hispanic applicants in an effort to further diversify our department to represent the community we serve.

The Riley County Police Department has recently acquired a food trailer to take to recruiting and community events as a way of making connections with people. The department is in the process of creating a recruiting team which will complement and operate independently of the food trailer depending on the event.

We are aware of the lack of diversity in our patrol division and are examining our hiring process and what can be done to improve our hiring results.

4. Our Core Values

The Riley County Police Department holds their employees to a high standard of service to the community and prides themselves on living and working by the following values.

Integrity - Adherence to moral and ethical principles, soundness of moral character, honesty.

Teamwork/Cooperation- Cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group or persons acting together as a team or in the interest of a common cause. An act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit; joint action.

Initiative - An introductory act or step; leading action; readiness and ability in initiating action; one's personal, responsible decision.

Empathy - The intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.

Reliability - That which may be relied on; dependable in achievement, accuracy, honest, etc.

Judgment - The ability to judge, make a decision, or form an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and wisely, especially in matters affecting action; good sense; discretion.

Professionalism - Professionalism is defined as, "Professional character, spirit, or methods. The standing, practice, or methods of a professional, as distinguished from an amateur."

Loyalty - Loyalty is defined as, "The state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments or obligations."

5. Accredited since 1991

In 1991 the Riley County Police Department became the 1st Nationally Accredited Law Enforcement Agency in Kansas and was the 168th agency nation-wide.  Accreditation is a voluntary process that demonstrates a clear commitment for procedural justice, ethical policing, community trust, transparency in service, appropriate organizational culture, fairness, and consistency in what citizens should expect from a law enforcement agency. RCPD is required to meet or exceed national standards put into place to ensure our agency is doing what it should while serving you. Accreditation is highly valued by Law Enforcement professionals and recognized as an achievement of professional excellence. There are different levels of accreditation attainable. The Department elects to strive for Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation, which means complying with all 461 national accreditation standards that are applicable to our agency.

The Department has maintained its accredited status during on-site assessments conducted in 1990, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2016, and most recently in December of 2019. The Riley County Police Department re-earned its Accreditation in 2020. The following awards have been attained by the Riley County Police Department:

• 2007 Reaccreditation / Meritorious Service
• 2010 Reaccreditation / Meritorious Service & Flagship Agency
• 2013 Reaccreditation / Meritorious Service & Accreditation With Excellence (This is the highest award attainable by CALEA)
• 2016 Advanced Reaccreditation via Gold Standard Assessment / Meritorious Service & Accreditation with Excellence

To learn more about the process of accreditation and our progress, please feel free to contact the Riley County Police Department's Accreditation Manager or the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) at www.calea.org.