Saturday, January 3, 2009

Representative Jason Watkins Requests Investigation into
Sedgwick County DA's Office
Lawmaker calls for special committee to investigate child welfare system

By Dana Hertneky
Story Created: Sep 8, 2008 at 9:35 PM CST
Story Updated: Sep 8, 2008 at 10:52 PM CST
WICHITA, KS, September 8, 2008 -- A state representative is speaking out, saying the Kansas attorney general is wrong for not investigating complaints made about the state's child welfare system.
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Representative Jason Watkins is now asking top lawmakers to convene a special committee so legislators can investigate on their own.
"This is a people issue, this is a Kansas issue and we need to fix it," Representative Watkins told KSN Monday.
Kansas Representative Jason Watkins says he's been hearing complaints about the state's child welfare system for a long time.
Then SRS Secretary Don Jordan made statements that social workers were bullied by the Sedgwick County district attorney's office. Comments that were later retracted.
“In Sedgwick County often times we end up writing things because it's what our social workers get bullied by the district attorney's office into writing, they really have no belief in what it says," Jordan told a group in March.
“Don Jordan I think was telling the truth initially when he was recorded,” said Watkins. “I think there has been an incredible amount of political pressure put on the secretary of SRS and I think that's why he recanted his story."
But when Watkins saw our KSN Extra last week, he says he was shocked to hear that Attorney General Steven Six denied a request to investigate this matter further.
"I'm very concerned about the precedent attorney general six is setting when he says well we're not going to investigate and the reason that we're not going to investigate is the secretary of SRS changed his story,” said Watkins. “If that is the standard the attorney general is going to base investigations and charges on, every member and every citizen of this state has a lot to be concerned about." So Watkins wrote a letter to House Speaker Melvin Neufeld and Judiciary Chair Mike O’Neal
requesting that a special committee with subpoena powers and the ability to question under oath be created to investigate these and other related claims.
Watkins says only then will elected officials have the tools they need to serve the people, and put questions to rest.
“We shouldn't rest until we've completed that task," said Watkins.
The Sedgwick County district attorney's office has said repeatedly that they are doing nothing wrong. Last week Deputy DA Kim Parker said if it would clear the air, they would welcome an investigation.
The Speaker of the House has the authority to appoint a special committee. Watkins says it’s very rare. Watkins says he wants a bi-partisan committee likely at least 11 members.

Social Workers Bullied by DA's Office into Falsifying Documents to Take Children From Loving Families