Kansas Bureau of Investigation Announces Investigations into Clergy Abuse in 33 Kansas Counties
Law enforcement officials in Kanas have announced that they have opened investigations into clergy abuse in counties throughout their state. This is a great step forward for parishioners and the public in Kansas and we look forward to future updates on these investigations.
We are thrilled at today’s announcement from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. According to KBI officials, nearly 120 reports of clergy abuse have been filed, leading to at least 74 investigations in 33 counties. To us, this update shows that when people speak up, the authorities will listen, and we hope that this news encourages other survivors – both in Kansas and throughout the country – to come forward and make a report to police and prosecutors.
We understand that investigations like this take time, and we are grateful to officials at the KBI for keeping Kansans informed of their progress. This is the kind of transparency that helps people have faith in their institutions and systems. These same kinds of updates are exactly what church officials should do when announcing their own investigations to the public.
The KBI is continuing to field reports from survivors and we urge anyone who may have seen, suspected, or suffered abuse in Kansas to contact the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME or by email at [email protected].
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)