Kansas City Sergeants Keep Badges After DUI Arrests

0:00It's March 31st. Welcome to Kansas News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Over the last two years, two sergeants with the Kansas City Kansas Police Department got busted for driving drunk, and both are still clocking in on. The job. Sergeant Kenneth Hickerson, who's also the police union president, faced charges after a stop in Missouri back on July 26th, 20. 24. Then more recently, Sergeant Caitlin Carter got arrested by the Kansas Highway Patrol on February 8th. Hickerson cut a plea deal earlier this year on March 16th, landing a two-year suspended sentence, two years of probation, 120. Hours of community service and a substance abuse class, that was his first offense, so prosecutors called it standard. Carter picked up charges for DUI, bad lane driving, and even carrying a gun while impaired since she was armed off duty, though that last one seems to have vanished from her case. This chief Carl Oakman says, when officers get arrested, they notify the chair of command

1:02right away and might shift to desk duty or leave during any probe. But under Kansas law, discipline details stay locked away from the public. Community watchers, like those from Justice for Windod, aren't shocked by this. They say behind-the-scenes behavior doesn't match cop standards, and while the chief is making some moves in his first term, transparency is still. Even the local advisory board lacks real power to dig into complaints or check performance. Both sergeants keep their badges for now, highlighting the push for clearer accountability and how these cases play out.