WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is pushing back against criticism of his foreign policy, arguing that Americans are safer on his watch.

Obama said in an interview on NBC’s “Today” show broadcast Monday that the U.S. has been “pretty successful” preventing major attacks since Sept. 11, 2001.

He is expressing concern about the “breakdown of order” in the Mideast and parts of North Africa. But he says, “it’s important for us to also just look at the track record of how many Americans have actually been killed during the course of this past decade.”

He says the job of fighting against extremism is never done. He says strategies have to be adapted to the constant changes terrorists are making.

By Austin Fisher
KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA — A bill that would require Kansas police officers to use body-worn cameras while on duty would cost about $1.4 million in 2016 in equipment, personnel and training, the Kansas Highway Patrol estimates.

Senate Bill 18 would require every state, county, and municipal law enforcement officer to be equipped with a body camera while on patrol duty. Ongoing maintenance would cost an estimated $871,000 in 2017.

Maj. Dawn Layman, a Lenexa police officer, is in favor of body cams and was wearing one at Thursday’s Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee hearing.

“You do your officers a disservice if you don’t get the technology,” she said. “Law enforcement gets the fact that the technology is needed.”

Lenexa has used body cams since 2009. However, Layman opposes a statewide mandate, saying smaller departments facing budget challenges need to have a say in what equipment they use. She said the camera she was wearing costs $900.

Police could seek grants and other funds from the federal government, and other public or private sources to cover costs. Layman, who plans to testify to the Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee with other opponents to the bill on Monday, said federal funding has been reduced in recent years.

Rep. Gail Finney (D-Wichita) asked the committee to consider asset forfeiture, DUI penalties, and penalties under Jessica’s Law to help fund the mandate.

“Nobody likes unfunded mandates but I think if we’re really concerned and we really want to ensure some type of transparency and accountability of law enforcement, we will find a way to find the money,” she said.

For Rev. Ben Scott, president of the Topeka NAACP, funding is secondary to compassion for victims.

“The cost of putting up the tapes for three years is far less than a life that’s out on the street,” Scott said. “Try to put yourself in the shoes of some of us,” he said. “It’s not easy.”

Body camera videos would be kept on file for three years if the recorded incident involves the use of force, leads to detention or an arrest, or may be useful in a criminal case. Otherwise, videos would be deleted after two weeks.

Micah Kubic, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, asked the Senate committee to extend the time police would hold on to video to four weeks to allow more time to review the footage. He suggested that in the interest of privacy the cams shouldn’t record continuously but only when police interact with the public. Also, anyone wanting to give an anonymous tip should be able to request an officer to turn off the camera.

“We think (the bill) does a very good job of balancing competing interests of accountability, privacy, and safety,” Kubic said. “We believe that (body cams) can be a very good tool for preventing false allegations against police officers.”

The Topeka Capital-Journal previously reported that departments in Wichita and Riley County already use body cams, and the move to expand their use statewide has bipartisan support.

Officers wearing cams could stop recording when “engaged in a personal matter” like a personal discussion or when using the bathroom, or upon request of a resident whenever the officer enters the resident’s home. Officers would also need to notify citizens that the camera is recording.

While body cam video would be exempt from the Kansas Open Records Act, anyone recorded in the video, their parents, legal guardians, or attorneys could request a copy.

Walt Chappell, vice chair of the Racial Profiling Advisory Board of Wichita (RPAB), said he hopes the bill will allow police to review their actions, policies, and training in order to de-escalate interactions with citizens before they become violent confrontations.

Confrontations that result in deadly action are often muddled by conflicting accounts and lies, says Djuan Wash, communications director of Sunflower Community Action and member of the RPAB.

Wash said body cams would have helped establish the facts in the Wichita police shooting death of John Paul Quintero on Jan. 3.

“Had the officers that responded had on a body camera, the family and the police department would know what happened, versus the messiness of a he-said, she-said argument” Wash said.

The committee only had time to hear proponents of the bill Thursday, and will meet on Monday to hear testimony from opponents.

Austin Fisher is a University of Kansas senior from Lawrence majoring in journalism.

PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — The bids are in and now it’s up to the state to decide the winning play for a new state-owned casino in southeast Kansas.

Four groups submitted formal applications to the Kansas Lottery Commission by the deadline Friday to open a casino in either Crawford or Cherokee counties.

The Joplin Globe reports two of the proposals are for casinos in Cherokee County, with the other two are for casinos in Crawford County.

Sally Lunsford, spokeswoman for the Kansas Lottery, said the Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board will have up to 60 days to recommend the winning bid. The Kansas Racing & Gaming Commission would then complete a background investigation and have 10 days to approve or reject the recommendation.

Kansas already has three state-owned casinos.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A man who prosecutors say helped a gunman escape after he fatally shot a Topeka police officer has been found incompetent to stand trial.

A Shawnee County court has ordered 31-year-old Randy Allen Ridens Jr. of Topeka to be sent to Larned State Hospital for mental evaluation.

Ridens is charged with obstructing the apprehension of 30-year-old Ross Preston Lane. Ridens allegedly drove Lane out of town on a stolen motorcycle.

Investigators say Lane fatally shot police Cpl. Jason Harwood in September. He is charged with capital murder of a law enforcement officer and weapons charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that in January, a psychiatrist found Ridens incompetent to stand trial. He was committed to Larned for no more than 90 days of treatment.

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A Topeka man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for a drunken-driving crash that killed his friend.

Twenty-year-old William Kelly III was driving a car that crashed in January 2013 in Leavenworth. A passenger, Lee King, was partially ejected from the car and died after the vehicle landed on him.

Prosecutors say Kelly was speeding and had a blood alcohol content of .11, higher than the legal limit of 0.8, at the time of the crash.

Kelly was convicted in December of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence. He was sentenced Friday to three years and five months in prison.

The Leavenworth Times reports defense attorney Kevin Shepherd argued for probation.

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — The handlers of Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, say the furry rodent has forecast six more weeks of winter.

Members of the top hat-wearing Inner Circle announced the “forecast” just before 7:30 a.m. Monday.

A German legend has it that if a furry rodent sees his shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. If not, spring comes early.

In reality, Phil’s prediction is decided ahead of time by the group on Gobbler’s Knob, the tiny hill in the town for which he’s named about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

Records going back to 1887 show Phil has now predicted more winter 102 times while forecasting an early spring just 17 times. There are no records for the remaining years.

By DAVE RANNEY
The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services is attempting to head off opposition to a bill being crafted to allow the state to regulate the use of prescription mental health drugs.

Kari Bruffett, secretary of KDADS, met last week with the Kansas Mental Health Coalition to ask its members to drop their opposition and instead help her draft a workable bill.

“We are open to having that discussion,” Bruffett said.

Coalition members agreed to sit down with Bruffett but made it clear they would likely continue to oppose any proposal aimed at limiting Medicaid patients’ access to brand-name antipsychotic drugs.

“Our opening position would be to leave the exemption alone,” said Rick Cagan, executive director with the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Kansas.

In Kansas, state law specifically prohibits the enactment of policies and regulations — such as preferred drug lists or prior authorization requirements — that could restrict or impede a physician’s ability to prescribe mental health drugs.

The law, passed in 2002, only applies to mental health drugs.

Bruffett said the law has proven to be “overly restrictive” and is hindering the state’s efforts to control costs and improve health care outcomes.

Repealing the law would save the state general fund $8.3 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which oversees the Medicaid program.

A bill to repeal the law — or at least loosen some of its restrictions — has yet to be introduced. But it’s coming, Bruffett said: “We know there is interest in the Legislature for pursuing this.”

The measure, she assured coalition members, will exclude individuals with chronic and persistent mental illnesses from any prior authorization requirements. And the state’s managed care organizations, she said, have told legislators that if the bill becomes law, they would not alter the drug regimens of current beneficiaries.

The managed care organizations, or MCOs, administer KanCare, Kansas’ $3 billion privatized Medicaid program.

The bill, Bruffett said, also will include “safety edits” meant to ensure that “behavioral health drugs are being used appropriately” and not as “a default” treatment for dementia patients.

Advocates for better nursing home care say antipsychotic drugs are too often being used to control residents whose dementia makes them challenging to manage.

Coalition members say they’re willing to continue discussing the issue but remain wary of the administration’s intent.

“Our concern is that this is a straight route to pharmacy management by MCOs,” said coalition director Amy Campbell.

Glea Ashley, chief executive of Valeo Behavioral Health Care in Topeka and a coalition member, said care needs to be taken in crafting any formula aimed at managing the use of mental health drugs.

“We need to be sure that, no matter what happens, people still get what they need. Otherwise, this can tip them over the edge,” Ashley said.

Jane Adams, who runs Keys for Networking, a Topeka-based program that advocates for school-age children with serious behavior issues, said families in the program are wary about the possibility of someone who’s not familiar with their children having the authority to adjust or change their medications.

“However this is handled,” Adams said, referring to the repeal initiative, “it needs to be communicated in a way that doesn’t instill fear. These are families that already are in crisis.”

Dave Ranney is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has granted a delay in court proceedings for a Mexican man accused of an identity theft scheme in which he changed a U.S. citizen’s legal name to his own.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren set a May 5 trial date in the case of Ramon Perez-Rivera and his wife, Antonia Vargas-Ortega. The couple had sought to stall their scheduled Feb. 17 trial.

Their lawyers say they need more time to review the evidence and evaluate how to proceed.

Prosecutors allege Perez-Rivera convinced a court to change the name of the ID theft victim to his own. He is accused of then using that identity to obtain food stamps and Medicaid, register to vote and obtain a U.S. passport and a driver’s license.