KCK officer on leave after viral video shows unusual behavior

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- A Kansas City, Kansas, police officer is on administrative leave after video surfaced of the officer exhibiting unusual behavior.

It stems from an issue that happened more than two weeks ago, but the video surfaced Sunday night. 

"Well clearly it's very disturbing. That’s not the experience you expect when you are calling a police officer," said Nikki Richardson, cofounder and president of Justice for Wyandotte.

The police officer was originally sent to the apartment complex over a custody dispute.

But someone at the apartment believed the officer was impaired and was concerned enough to demand a sergeant respond.

Throughout the video, the officer can be seen steadying himself against a railing and the wall. His speech is slurred, and he blinks a lot. He also makes some strange gestures with his hands.

"Who's to say how many more houses they would have went to before someone pulled out their phone and had a sergeant called. How many more houses have they gone to before they got there,” Richardson said. 

"It can't always be on civilians out at the ready to catch police misconduct. At some point, that has to be done internally," she added.

In a statement to FOX4, the KCK Police Department said: 

“The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department understands concerns currently being raised regarding the appearance and wellbeing of one of the officers in the video. As soon as we became aware of the situation late last week, we began the process of an internal investigation. The officer is currently on administrative leave pending the outcome. That investigation includes a fit-for-duty evaluation that consists of a comprehensive medical and physical assessment and drug screening. While still early in the investigation, preliminary information indicates that a medical condition may have been a factor in the officer’s appearance."

“This speaks to the larger conversation about concerns within police culture across the nation. There was clearly another officer that was there that was fit to be there, and there was an officer who wasn’t,” Richardson said.

FOX4 also reached out to the person who shot the video, and we are waiting to hear back.