74-5611a. Central registry; purpose; confidentiality and disclosure of records; required reports; immunity from liability. (a) (1) The commission shall establish and maintain a central registry of all Kansas police officers or law enforcement officers.

(2) The purpose of the registry is to be a resource for all agencies who appoint or elect police or law enforcement officers to use when reviewing employment applications of such officers. The registry shall include all records received or created by the commission pursuant to this section and all records related to violations of the Kansas law enforcement training act, including, but not limited to, records of complaints received or maintained by the commission.

(3) All records contained in the registry are confidential and shall not be disclosed pursuant to the Kansas open records act, except such records may be disclosed as provided in subsections (a)(4) and (a)(5) and the Kansas administrative procedure act. The provisions of this paragraph shall expire on July 1, 2023, unless the legislature reviews and reenacts this provision pursuant to K.S.A. 45-229, and amendments thereto, prior to July 1, 2023.

(4) Records contained in the registry, other than investigative files, shall be disclosed:

(A) To an agency that certifies, appoints or elects police or law enforcement officers;

(B) to the person who is the subject of the information, but the commission may require disclosure in such a manner as to prevent identification of any other person who is the subject or source of the information;

(C) in any proceeding conducted by the commission in accordance with the Kansas administrative procedure act, or in an appeal of an order of the commission entered in a proceeding, or to a party in such proceeding or that party's attorney;

(D) to a municipal, state or federal licensing, regulatory or enforcement agency with jurisdiction over acts or conduct similar to acts or conduct that would constitute grounds for action under this act; and

(E) to the director of police training when such disclosure is relevant to the exercise of the authority granted in K.S.A. 74-5604a(b), and amendments thereto.

(5) The following records may be disclosed to any person pursuant to the Kansas open records act:

(A) A record containing only:

(i) A police or law enforcement officer's name;

(ii) the name of a police or law enforcement officer's current employer;

(iii) the police or law enforcement officer's dates of employment with the police or law enforcement officer's current employer;

(iv) the name of previous law enforcement employers and the dates of employment with each employer;

(v) a summary of the trainings completed by the police or law enforcement officer as reported to the commission; and

(vi) the status of the police or law enforcement officer's certification under this act; and

(B) statewide summary data without personally identifiable information.

(6) The provisions of K.S.A. 45-221(a), and amendments thereto, shall apply to any records disclosed pursuant to subsection (a)(4) or (a)(5).

(b) The director shall provide forms for registration and shall refuse any registration not submitted on such form in full detail.

(c) Within 30 days of appointment, election or termination, every city, county and state agency, every school district and every community college shall submit the name of any person appointed or elected to or terminated from the position of police officer or law enforcement officer within its jurisdiction.

(d) Upon termination, the agency head shall include a report explaining the circumstances under which the officer resigned or was terminated. Such termination report shall be available to the terminated officer and any law enforcement agency to which the terminated officer later applies for a position as a police officer or law enforcement officer. The terminated officer may submit a written statement in response to the termination and any such statement shall be included in the registry file concerning such officer. The director shall adopt a format for the termination report.

(e) The agency, agency head and any officer or employee of the agency shall be absolutely immune from civil liability:

(1) For the report made in accordance with subsection (d); and

(2) when responding in writing to a written request concerning a current or former officer from a prospective law enforcement agency of that officer for the report made in accordance with subsection (d) and for the disclosure of such report.

History: L. 1982, ch. 322, § 7; L. 1987, ch. 277, § 6; L. 1992, ch. 157, § 1; L. 1995, ch. 180, § 13; L. 2004, ch. 149, § 3; L. 2006, ch. 170, § 16; L. 2018, ch. 93, § 3; July 1.