Ex-KCPD officer hired by prosecutor will investigate reports of excessive use of force

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A former KCPD officer hired by the Jackson County prosecutor to investigate reports of excessive use of force is talking about his role.For 28 years, Tony Sanders worked for the Kansas City Police Department. Now, he’s reviewing reports of excessive use of force.”As we saw last summer, there are some police officers that don’t quite get it right. Being a sergeant for so many years on the department, I felt I had something to contribute to the prosecutor’s office based on my experience,” Sanders said.Many calling for reform say there are systemic issues and that investigations should be independent from local law enforcement.”The community wants more answers. They want less red tape. They want a thorough investigation and by adding more specific, as in my case, more specific investigators to that chain, I think that’s where you get that neutrality,” Sanders said.In the past year, five Kansas City police officers have been indicted by grand juries for charges including assault and involuntary manslaughter. There have also been fatal shootings in which charges were not filed after reviewing evidence. “If nothing else, then I think that’s what my job is to educate the public more on the process the criminal justice process whether they have what they perceive as a positive outcome in their particular situation or not,” Sanders said.