Wichita oversight board moves to oust outspoken police critic. City Council will decide

The Wichita Citizens Review Board is asking the City Council to remove Walt Chappell, a longtime activist against racial profiling and the board’s most vocal critic of the Wichita Police Department, from the city’s police oversight board.

Chappell has been vocal with his frustrations about the poor quality of data and information provided by the police department. He said he suspects the department is hiding unflattering information from the oversight board.

Capt. Travis Easter said the department is not trying to hide anything and gives the board what it can.

Board members on Thursday said Chappell makes up facts to push his agenda. They described him as a “bulldog” and a “bully” whose sharp criticisms of the department have resulted in Chief Joseph Sullivan changing the way the WPD communicates with the board.

“In our experience here with the board, we’ve had a good working relationship with WPD,” said Jay Fowler, a local lawyer and member of the review board. “And that depends on our ability to interact with them.”

“In the context of Walt’s allegations against department members about providing misleading information, the chief became very frustrated and at one point directed that staff was supposed to not talk to Walt,” Fowler said. “And instead all information requests would go through the chair or the board as a whole. I suppose we can do that, but that’s an interference with what was previously a very collaborative process.”

Chappell has voiced frustration with the board’s reliance on the police department for information on disciplinary cases, arguing they are withholding key details from reports they provide to the review board, including data on racial profiling.

“I don’t know, maybe I am a bulldog,” Chappell said during the Thursday meeting. “If you bite on a bone, you don’t give up. I guess I don’t apologize for that. But what I do want to say to you is I’m willing to cooperate and work with you in any way we can, if we can actually get something accomplished.”

Chappell also struck a defiant tone, saying he will not step down voluntarily.

“I don’t know what it is . . . that gives this board any right to say anybody is going to get kicked off,” Chappell said. “In the legislature, an appointed board like this, it’s the person who made the appointment who makes that decision.”

Odell Harris Jr., a local pastor who was appointed to the board by the city manager in 2017, called for Chappell’s removal. He said he has considered resigning because of Chappell.

“Since Mr. Chappell has been on our board, we have not been able to get through a full agenda,” Harris said. “It’s been very hostile in our meetings. . . . Things are just not as conductive as they should be.”

Riccardo Harris, executive director of Wichita GEAR UP at Wichita State and a city manager appointee, said he agrees that meetings have been more contentious since Chappell joined the board.

“It has changed, and I don’t feel like we are getting anything accomplished,” he said. “I think there are other agenda items that are being pushed by Walt, and those agenda items take precedence over anything that’s in discussion.”

The hostility came to a head during a recent closed-door executive session, Fowler said.

“Without going into the details, because it happened in executive session, he personally attacked a member of staff — verbally, not physically — making allegations that were unrelated to the specific case,” Fowler said. “And meant to be harmful and mean.”

After the meeting, Chappell said the “verbal attack” was a question to a city attorney about her alleged involvement in a domestic violence case more than a decade ago.

Twila Puritty, Mayor Brandon Whipple’s appointee, said she worries the move to oust Chappell could have a chilling effect on other outspoken board members. She said she has also had trouble getting straight answers from the department.

“I’m concerned that this now is going to discourage questioning,” Puritty said. “You know, then I might be targeted next because I’m asking questions, and these questions may take time. . . . My concern is to get rid of somebody for questioning may just discourage more participation.”

Ballard disappointed with vote to oust Chappell

Chappell was appointed to the board by City Council member Maggie Ballard after the Wichita City Council voted to expand the board to include elected officials’ appointees. That came after an Eagle investigation found Wichita police mishandled an internal investigation and discipline of SWAT team officers who sent and received racist, sexist and homophobic text messages.

Ballard, who appointed Chappell in December, said she’s disappointed that the review board moved to oust Chappell without first coming to her with the proposal so she could speak to him about the issues one-on-one.

“I didn’t know they had a plan to take a vote like that tonight,” Ballard said. “I had heard concerns and planned to speak to Walt but hadn’t gotten a chance. I’m disappointed to hear a vote was taken when I didn’t have a chance to review whatever was discussed at the CRB tonight in advance.”

Chappell was instrumental in getting the Kansas Legislature to pass a 2005 law that requires police departments to track and report racial profiling data. He also helped the police department start programs that gives people child safety seats instead of tickets for car seat violations and fix-it vouchers instead of tickets for broken taillight infractions.

Chappell has also been criticized by other board members for interrupting discussions of routine agenda items to ask why the board has yet to review any high profile police shootings, such as the 2017 police killing of unarmed Andrew Finch, the 2014 shooting of Icarus Randolph and the 2021 in-custody death of 17-year-old Cedric “CJ” Lofton.

Chappell volunteered to stop talking so much during meetings.

“If you want me to be more quiet, I’m glad to do that,” Chappell told his fellow board members. “If you feel like perhaps we’re embarrassing the police department by bringing some of these things forward, I’m sorry, but we’re not here to please them. We’re here to take care of the citizens.”

Kevin Harrison, an assistant teaching professor at Wichita State and Council member Brandon Johnson’s appointee, voted to remove Chappell. He said Chappell has a tendency to isolate people and that he tried to bully him into running for the chair position after he had already told him he likely would not have time to fulfill the chairmanship.

“What the record needs to show is that I’m definitely not here for a dog and pony show or with any fear of embarrassing the police,” Harrison said. “If there’s malicious behavior going on, I’m all for exposing it.”

Disagreements over Chappell’s approach

Chappell has been critical of the city’s handling of the Jensen Hughes report.

He says review board members were promised they would get a chance to review new policies before they were put in place. Instead, the board learned of new policies at a news conference where the city touted its commitment to reform.

“We hadn’t seen any of the recommendations on what the city was going to do, and we didn’t have any input to that policy. . . . Even though we’ve asked, we don’t receive,“ he said.

Board members said they largely agree with Chappell’s points but they don’t agree with his methods.

One major point of contention has been the way the board reviews complaints against officers during executive sessions. Chappell wants all complainants to attend the executive sessions, not just police officers, so the board can hear both sides.

Board members say the CRB invites citizens who file complaints, but Chappell said they invite only citizens who ask the board to review the case. They aren’t allowed to stay in the room while police talk about the case, Chappell said.

Fowler accused Chappell of making up facts to fit his agenda. When pressed, the only example he would give was Chappell saying they don’t invite complainants.

People who ask the board to review their case are given a chance to speak before the board. But most of the cases the board reviews are ones they select from a brief summary of the cases. In those instances, the person involved in the case is not notified.

Three longtime members of the board — Harris, Harris and Fowler — who were appointed by City Manager Robert Layton led the charge to oust Chappell.

The city manager’s appointees voted unanimously to recommend removal of Chappell. They were joined by two city council member appointees, Harrison and Janet Johnson. Two other council appointees — Puritty and Paul Kitchen — abstained.

An April 2022 change to the Wichita Citizens Advisory Board was supposed to give City Council appointees a 7-6 voting majority on the board. But two city council members — Jeff Blubaugh and Becky Tuttle — have not appointed board members. An additional city manager appointee — Sharon Ailslieger — has been allowed to remain on the board after her term expired, giving the manager’s appointees a 7-5 majority on the Citizens Review Board.

“This board is an advisory board, and we need to come in with an open mind,” Ailslieger, a retired librarian, said. “We’re not out to get the police and show what bad guys they are. . . . On the other hand, we shouldn’t come in with the idea that we’re going to whitewash anything, either, and I don’t think we have.”

Ailslieger said Chappell needs to accept the limitations of the Citizens Review Board, which does not investigate cases and has no authority to discipline officers or change policies.

“I’m not here to tell the police how to do their job,” she said. “We are here to make sure that somebody is looking over their shoulder to maybe keep them on the straight and narrow. But they’re only people, guys, just like you and me. And I don’t care who you are. OK. I don’t care if you’re pink, white, yellow or polka dotted. We all have biases because we’re people.”