The City of Topeka continues to work through the investigation into the use of force that was generated during the arrest of Tamiko Mitchell on August 23. We are aware that the Facebook post about her interaction with a police officer is causing concern in our community. The Topeka Police Department is conducting their internal investigation into the use of force and we want you to know that we remain committed to being transparent throughout this process. At the conclusion of the investigations, findings will be released to the public when possible.
In this case and with any use of force that is generated during an arrest, a supervisor is notified immediately and they arrive on scene to speak to the citizen involved in the use of force. In this instance, the Shift Commander responded to the scene, which starts the official internal Use of Force Review Board process. This extensive review process goes through multiple layers to ensure the use of force was done legally, within policy and in accordance with our training procedures. This process is currently underway and has been since the arrest took place on August 23. You can find more information on the Topeka Police Department’s Use of Force Policies on the website: https://www.topeka.org/tpd/topeka-police-policies/
“The City of Topeka is moving as quickly as possible to complete the investigation. We take this incident very seriously and are committed to a fair and complete investigation of the facts related to Ms. Mitchell’s incident and injury,” said City Manager Brent Trout.
The Independent Police Auditor, Ed Collazo, will conduct an independent investigation of the incident. We understand the community’s desire to see the body worn camera video. The City of Topeka will be releasing the body worn camera video of the incident once legal requirements are met.
City Manager Brent Trout contacted a representative of Ms. Mitchell to request an opportunity to meet with her, that request has not been accepted at this time.