Kent Police chief addresses officer hiring at community meeting

Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla left a group of about 30 people with more questions than answers about why he hired an officer who fatally shot a man in 2022 while working for the Olathe (Kansas) Police Department.

Padilla also attacked the Kent Reporter when he told the audience they shouldn’t believe what they read in the media.

It was a Kent Reporter article about the hiring of Conner Thompson, a former Olathe Police Department officer hired by Kent last fall, that led Gwen Allen-Carston, executive director of the Kent Black Action Commission, to call for a meeting with the chief Tuesday evening, Aug. 12, in the Green River Room at the Kent Commons Community Center.

The city of Olathe last month paid $625,000 to the family of the man killed during a “mental health crisis” to settle a wrongful death civil lawsuit filed in federal court against Thompson and the city.

Padilla emphasized during the meeting what he had said in previous Kent Reporter stories about the hiring. He knew about the shooting and agreed with the Olathe Police Department and a Johnson County district attorney that determined the shooting by Thompson as justified.

Allen-Carston explained at the start of the meeting that she wanted to help make residents aware of what is going on in their city.

“Public safety isn’t just a matter of enforcement,” Allen-Carston said. “It is a matter of trust. And trust must be earned and maintained through transparency, accountability and dignity. Recently, the city hired an officer from Olathe, Kansas. This is not just a routine personnel matter. Officer Thompson was involved in a fatal shooting that led to public concern, legal proceedings and serious questions about his conduct and judgment. …Our community deserves answers.”

U.S. District Court Judge Julie Robinson approved the wrongful death settlement July 23 between Thompson and the city of Olathe with Maria Varnas, the mother of Brandon Lynch, 27, who was shot Dec. 31, 2022, inside his home.

Padilla opened the meeting by distributing a press release from the Office of District Attorney in Olathe, which determined Thompson “lawfully used deadly force to defend himself against an imminent and actual threat of death or great bodily harm.”

Padilla said the press release provided the facts in the case. He didn’t mention the U.S. District Court judge’s decision to allow a civil suit to move forward after the city tried to get the case dismissed until Allen-Carston raised the issue.

“The court found for the plaintiff’s allegations that the officer recklessly escalated the situation by shooting at and agitating a person in the middle of a mental health crisis,” Allen-Carston said, quoting from a Kent Reporter article written from a U.S. District Court document.

Because of that finding, Judge Robinson allowed the case to move forward and potentially go to trial until the settlement ended the case.

“Is this the only person you could have hired?” Allen-Carston said.

Padilla responded that the judge by court rule had to look at the allegations in the light that’s most favorable to the plaintiff.

“The lawsuit, more often than not, the judge is going to agree with the plaintiff at that moment knowing that a full trial with the airing of the facts of what actually occurred has yet to happen,” Padilla said.

The chief added that when people read that in a newspaper they don’t realize the allegations were written by the attorney for the plaintiff.

“The guy that got a quarter of a million dollars in this case,” Padilla said about the portion of the settlement that will go to attorneys.

A few people asked Padilla about why Thompson was hired over other candidates.

Padilla explained that officers must meet various qualifications and then a list of names comes to him and he makes a decision about who to hire. He saw Thompson as a quality hire and said he’s done a good job and is a good person.

“I feel very confident we did our due diligence and I stand behind the decision to hire (Thompson),” Padilla said. “This officer has been on duty for several months. …he’s been an exemplary officer and if he showed up at your house to help with a crisis, you’d be glad he’s there.”

Padilla and Mayor Dana Ralph, who attended the meeting but didn’t discuss the hire as Padilla took all questions, had to leave the event after about 45 minutes due to a previously scheduled community meeting.

The chief told the crowd — which included Kent City Council members Bill Boyce and John Boyd, state Sen. Tina Orwall (D- Des Moines), King County Council candidate Steffanie Fain and Kent City Council candidate Sharn Shoker — that he hadn’t received any feedback about the hiring of Thompson when the first Kent Reporter article came out early in the year. He said he also didn’t hear about the hiring during the recent National Night Out when he visited community gatherings.

“We’re here now,” one resident in the crowd shouted.

Allen-Carston added she didn’t know what other communities were thinking, but she felt the need to call for a meeting.

“We are asking to give us some respect to know and feel that we have a right to know what’s going on,” she said.

Right after that comment and just prior to leaving, Padilla took a parting shot at the media and the reason for the gathering.

“My ask is let’s not set it up this way, and no offense Steve (Hunter, of the Kent Reporter), right, where we buy into a media story that’s not true,” Padilla said. “I’d strongly encourage you to not let a media story determine what your truth is.”

Padilla never reached out with any complaints to the Kent Reporter about any of the three articles about Thompson’s hiring. The articles included in-depth responses from Padilla about the hiring and attributed details about the case to court documents and other media reports.

Prior to exiting, Padilla told Allen-Carston she could have just called him to ask about the hiring.

“But I didn’t know about this (hiring),” Allen-Carston said. “And most of these people don’t have the access like you and I have.”

In a follow-up phone interview with Allen-Carston on Wednesday morning, Aug. 13, she said there’s a need for another meeting.

“We have to continue this process of addressing the community’s concerns about not only the issue we dealt with but other issues as well,” she said.

Allen-Carston said she appreciated the chief’s time, but the 45 minutes wasn’t long enough to discuss the matter. She said she will work to schedule the next meeting when Padilla and Ralph have an open schedule so they don’t need to leave early.

“The time was not appropriate for us to have an in-depth conversation and a conversation that includes the voices of the community,” she said.

Allen-Carston was impressed with the turnout.

“It was a good showing from the community that people are speaking out to be made more aware of what is really going on in the city of Kent in the area of public safety,” she said.