By: NICOLAS FIERRO
Salina Post
The Kansas Highway Patrol welcomed Kansas US Representative, Tracey Mann who is on tour across the "The Big First" District of Kansas to hear updates about local law enforcement agencies, their efforts and how the federal and state government can support their needs.
Kansas US Representative in the 1st District ("The Big First), Tracey Mann visited the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) Troop J in Salina as part of the Congressman's "Law Enforcement Tour" across the 1st district. Mann has been touring across the district that encompasses 60 of the 105 counties in Kansas since the start of August.
Mann stopped by the KHP Troop J Academy on Thursday, August 28 to review, hear updates, challenges and issues about the agency's training program, facilities, state dispatch center and more.
Takeaways from the Congressman
According to Mann, some of the key takeaways for the agency would be to support them with federal grants.
"There is alot of opportunities for federal grants and law enforcement can apply for state grants both through the Department of Justice and Homeland Security," said Mann. "We discussed about how our office can help them (KHP) as they are pursuing grants and how we can let them know there are grant opportunities that they might be eligible for."
Concerns about the protection of State legislation was discussed among Mann and the KHP. Mann stated this concern deals at the federal level as well and is an ongoing conversation as far as moving forward with a plan.
"We are living in very divided times, we see acts of crime and violence against elected officials," he said. "A lot of talk in Washington is happening right now on what security might look like. It is preliminary and we will see what it looks like in the future."
Mann touched on the economic benefits and positive impacts Salina receives with having a KHP training academy.
"Salina is in the middle of our state, so it is easy for this to become a destination, not just for the training but also for education," he said. "People that come here to do training, they are also visiting restaurants, shops and potentially bringing their families. It is good for the overall economy in Salina."
One aspect the KHP is implementing in their training is advocating for mental health. Mann understood from the KHP, that Law Enforcement Officers on average sees 700 traumatic experiences (passing of a individual and/or critical experiences) during a 20 year period, in contrast to a non-law enforcement officer who sees an average of 4.
"Making sure local, state and federal law enforcement are getting the mental health resources and the training they need is a big deal," said Mann. "I had known at a high level certainly that there were needs, but I have never heard it quantified in those terms before."
Rep. Mann's next stops are at the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) Forensic Science Laboratory in Great Bend, and the Law Enforcement Training Center in Hutchinson.