The Kansas State Board of Public Indigents’ Services held a public hearing Saturday at Kansas City, Kansas Community College on a proposal to establish a public defender’s office in Wyandotte County which currently does not have one. The hearing was attended by close to 200 community members. In her Governor’s Commission for Racial Equity and Justice Initial Report, Gov. Laura Kelly recommends that counties with more than 100,000 residents have a public defender’s office. Wyandotte County has more than 165,000 residents. Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree told the board he thinks a public defender’s office is necessary. “I was a private attorney, and as a private attorney, I was on this list,” said Dupree. “I, at one time, enjoyed the funds that came from this list, but then I realized things need to change.”
Source: KCUR News
