Kansas Attorney General

In Kansas, January is declared as Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Please join us in raising awareness over this heinous crime, which can happen anywhere, at any time.

Merry Christmas.

The holiday season can be a challenging time for the families of crime victims who find themselves celebrating with an empty chair at the table. These receptions remember the lives of victims and let their families know that while they may be hurting, they have our support, encouragement and firm commitment to honoring their loved one's memory.

Kobach leads coalition demanding Biden drop ATF proposal that violates 2A - https://mailchi.mp/ag/lights-in-support-of-israel-stolen-from-memorial-hall-12667526

The KBI's Joint Fentanyl Impact Team seized thousands of pounds of fentanyl and m**h in Wichita this week. We appreciate their efforts to keep these illicit drugs off of Kansas streets.

Today, our Joint Fentanyl Impact Team made a major seizure of illegal drugs.

On Wednesday, Nov. 29, intelligence was developed related to the movement of illicit drugs into Kansas. On Thursday, Nov. 30, the KBI, the Sedgwick County Sheriff, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration - DEA executed four search warrants at two residences in south Wichita and one residence in northwest Wichita. As a result of the investigation around 60,000 fentanyl pills (weighing 13 pounds), 59 pounds of m**hamphetamine, and 4.2 pounds of fentanyl powder were seized.

At this time the suspects have not been arrested, but arrests are expected. The cases will be presented to county and federal prosecutors for consideration of charges. The investigation is ongoing.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever. (Psalm 107:1)

Assistant Attorney General Chris Teters will join WIBW's Melissa Brunner on the red couch this afternoon at 4 p.m. on Topeka TV. He'll talk about the AG office's efforts to prevent fentanyl overdose deaths in Kansas. Tune in!

Woman sentenced to life for her role in the murder of Teresa Dutton - https://mailchi.mp/ag/court-sentences-barton-county-woman

Halloween at the Hall.

I'm pleased to announce that wait times for concealed carry licensing are way down. Thank you to CCL unit staff for your efficient work in slashing wait times!

The Kansas Attorney General's Office partnered with CHART earlier this month to conduct two live crash tests at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center near Yoder, Kansas. The DUI investigation training assists law enforcement and prosecutors in understanding reconstruction vocabulary, and preparing investigations for prosecution. Assistant Attorney General Corey Kenney coordinated and facilitated the training.

Congratulations to Kansas Assistant AG EVE Kemple recipient of the 2023 KCDAA Association Prosecutor of the Year award. https://mailchi.mp/ag/kemple-named-prosecutor-of-the-year

"This is unprecedented," Chris Teters, Assistant Attorney General, said. “This is $10 million in that didn't exist in the opioid abatement space that is going to target emergency needs in areas that either really need additional assistance or that may not have had access to resources previously."
Kansas Fights Addiction board awards $10 million in grants - https://mailchi.mp/ag/ag-announces-10-million-in-grants-to-fight-opioid-addiction

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has joined the Sunflower State in a lawsuit with 32 other states in federal court. The aim is to get Facebook parent company Meta, along with Instagram, to stop collecting data on very young kids. “That is what attorneys general, including Attorney General Kobach is hoping for,” said Kansas Assistant Attorney General Fran Oleen on Tuesday. “Is that children will be more protected from the manipulative practices that Meta has engaged in. “

Kansas Attorney General office talks about Meta/Instagram lawsuit The lawsuit in federal court claims information of young users is continuing to be collected.

While this won't bring Blaze and Kylan back, it's important that their families received justice. Cherokee County woman sentenced in double homicide - https://mailchi.mp/ag/cherokee-county-woman-sentenced-for-double-homicide-12659237

Facebook and Instagram have not been responsible corporate citizens. We're working on changing that in order to protect youth.

We are in the process of getting input from the county attorneys of how we can make additional changes to our statutes to ensure the penalty for fentanyl is significant and to ensure these fentanyl dealers and distributors face some serious prison time.

Kobach says he will work to make fentanyl charges more severe Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said he will prioritize making fentanyl penalties more severe this upcoming legislative session.

The words "civis Romanus sum," which mean I am a Roman citizen, offered privileged political and legal status to free people in ancient times. Today, the words, "I am an American citizen" provide the same. On Friday, it was a great honor to talk to new U.S. citizens at a naturalization ceremony in Wichita about the rights and responsibilities we share as American citizens.

Fentanyl is a leading cause of death among 18-year-olds to 45-year-olds. It's great to see Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves spreading the message that

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office raising awareness on fentanyl dangers COLUMBUS, Kan. — The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office is using social media to ramp up efforts to increase fentanyl awareness. Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves says the demographic most a…

The KBI is monitoring threats and is in regular communication with local law enforcement.

On October 7, Hamas conducted an unprecedented attack on Israel, which led Israel to declare war on Hamas, on October 8. In the past few days this war has intensified, creating tensions around the world.

Hamas founder Khaled Mashal recently issued a statement declaring Friday, October 13, the “Friday of Al-Aqsa Flood” or a day of general mobilization. Many refer to Mashal’s statement as a call for a “global day of jihad.” Jihad is a term often used by militants when referring to a holy war or religious struggle.

At the KBI, we are aggressively monitoring these events as they unfold and are in constant communication with federal, state and local law enforcement partners in Kansas. Presently, there are no credible threats to our state. We will continue working with all levels of law enforcement as our top priority is the safety and security of Kansans.

We ask everyone to remain vigilant, and report any suspicious or concerning activity to local law enforcement and to the KBI at https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.

Kobach asks judges to stop being pronoun police - https://mailchi.mp/ag/kobach-asks-10th-circuit-to-cease-pronoun-police-practice

Governor Laura Kelly and Attorney General Kris Kobach jointly release the below statement in response to the recent attacks against the Israeli people.

Kobach lights Memorial Hall blue in solidarity with Israel -

Kobach lights Memorial Hall blue in solidarity with Israel

Kansas child deaths hit record low in 2021, but child deaths from fentanyl are on the rise.
https://mailchi.mp/ag/kansas-child-deaths-hit-record-low-in-2021

Attorneys from the AG’s office met with county attorneys in Great Bend today for continuing legal education. County attorneys, look for CLE events coming to a county near you soon.

Kansas, 13 states defend Texas from Biden admin - https://mailchi.mp/ag/kobach-defends-texas-in-legal-brief

Richard Salisbury has been missing for a year. If you have information about his disappearance, please call the KBI at 1(800)-KS-CRIME.

A year has passed since KBI agents, the Meade County Kansas Sheriff, and the Gray County Sheriff's Office in Kansas began investigating the disappearance of Richard Salisbury, of Plains, Kansas.

Richard Salisbury is a white male who was 55-years-old when he was last seen on Sept. 20, 2022, in rural Gray County. Today, he would be 56.

Salisbury is 6 foot 1 inch tall, and weighs approximately 220 pounds. Salisbury has brown hair, brown eyes, and facial hair. He has a tattoo of a tomahawk and feathers on his left shoulder. He was last known wearing a gray shirt with red letters, a gray baseball cap, jeans, and sunglasses.

He had been living in Plains, Kansas, in Meade County, for around three months. Prior to that, he lived in the Austin, Texas area.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Richard Salisbury, contact the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, the Meade County Sheriff's Office at 620-873-8765, the Gray County Sheriff's Office at 620-855-3916, or submit a tip online at https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.

Now in progress on Zoom. Join us for a free webinar on fighting consumer fraud and identity theft in Kansas.

Passcode: 739850

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Read about the Chief Deputy Attorney General in the Sunflower State Journal today. Link, subscription required, in the comments, but here's a quick taste: "We were interested in defending the constitution. Public officers take an oath to protect and defend the constitution. It really stuck in my craw that they would say things like, ‘Well, we don’t know whether this is constitutional or not, but we’ll let the courts sort it out.’ We were interested in the rule of law. The law says what it says.

“If you want to change it, there’s a very simple way to do that, and that’s pass a new law or amend the constitution. But what you can’t do is go around and just do whatever you want and figure out the legal back-and-forth later. That’s not how our system works. It’s not how it’s designed to work.

“Frankly, as far as I’m concerned, people who take an oath and then do that, they were liars. They had no intention to follow that oath. If this was 1776, they would have been tarred and feathered and ridden out of town on a rail. We live in more polite times now.”

Attention Hays-area residents: Join KBI director Tony Mattivi, public health officials, and law enforcement at a townhall meeting to discuss the dangers of fentanyl, its effects on northwest Kansas, and where to go for help if you know someone struggling. The townhall is from 6:30 pm. to 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 21 in the Memorial Union Ballroom at Fort Hays State.

Join staff from the Federal Trade Commission, the Kansas Attorney General's Office, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Kansas Legal Services, and the Better Business Bureau of Kansas for a free, one-hour webinar on fighting consumer fraud and identity theft in Kansas.

Help spread the message by participating in the Kansas Partners Empowering Youth for Su***de Prevention. 988 is the new number for the National Su***de Prevention Lifeline.

Come visit the AG booth at the Kansas State Fair!

After a dozen years at the Kansas Attorney General's Office, staff thanked Deann Tiede for her tireless service to the state of Kansas and the AG's office. She will be missed.

It was a great honor to join Kansas Assistant Attorneys General Adam Brewer and Nicholas Smith as they were sworn into the Kansas Bar. A special thanks to Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert for performing the honors.

AG Kobach commends KSHSAA policy in compliance with Fairness in Women's Sports Act - https://mailchi.mp/ag/kobach-commends-kshsaa-policy-on-womens-sports