Traffic Division

The traffic division of the District Attorney's prosecutes traffic tickets and misdemeanor traffic crimes investigated by the following law enforcement agencies:

• Johnson County Sheriff's Department
• Kansas Highway Patrol
• Johnson County Park Police
• Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
• Alcohol Beverage Control (Kansas Department of Revenue)

If you have a traffic-related questions you may:

• Click on the traffic tab under Diversion
• Contact the District Attorney's Office Traffic Division at 913.715.3011
• Check out the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Traffic Diversion page
• Visit the Traffic Court section on the District Court webpage

The Traffic Unit handles matters ranging from low-level traffic tickets, like speeding, all the way to involuntary manslaughter, second degree murder and felony murder.

The Traffic Unit works closely with partner agencies to ensure strong prosecution of DUI and other serious traffic crimes. The office has expanded its search warrant criteria to ensure blood draws in all DUI-drug cases—a massive move for the largest jurisdiction in Kansas.

In addition to work in trial, the Traffic Unit frequently speaks to area high schools to alert students to the dangers of impaired driving. The Traffic Unit’s head has been honored as the Kansas Traffic Prosecutor of the Year by the Kansas Highway Patrol for his work prosecuting DUI fatality cases.

Drugs

The purpose of the Drug Unit of the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office is to charge and prosecute criminal cases involving drug distribution and felony drug possession. This unit is comprised of six assistant district attorneys who specialize in the prosecution of charged drug cases. They work with local, state and federal law enforcement officers and the Johnson County Drug Task Force to combat the sale of illegal drugs.

The drug unit also specializes in assisting agencies in the prosecution of cases involving overdose deaths. These cases involve investigations into those individuals who distribute a controlled substance which results in the death of another person, often involving Fentanyl. Over the last several years, Fentanyl has gone from a rarely tested substance to the third most tested substance by the Johnson County Crime Lab. The drug unit works closely with law enforcement personnel, medical professionals, the Johnson County Crime Lab, and the Medical Examiner’s office in the prosecution of these cases. The Office’s drug unit was given an award in 2024 by the City of Overland Park for their work on overdose death cases.

The drug unit also handles civil asset forfeitures for property and currency seized in drug distribution cases. These cases involve the seizure and subsequent forfeiture of either illegal proceeds from drug transactions or property used to conduct illegal activity associated with drug distribution.    

Special Victims Unit

The Special Victims Unit (SVU) of the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the charging and prosecution of cases involving child victims. This includes those cases involving the sexual abuse of children; solicitation and exploitation of children through electronic means; and where children have been physically abused or endangered. This also includes homicide cases involving child victims. Additionally, the SVU handles cases of sexual violence involving adult victims, as well as crimes utilizing electronic devices to commit privacy violations related to sexual conduct.

The SVU works closely with our community partners to include law enforcement, victim advocacy organizations (such as the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault), area medical staff, and Sunflower House (a child advocacy center).

The unit routinely handles the prosecution of cases such as: 

• Rape
• Aggravated Criminal Sodomy
• Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child
• Aggravated Sexual Battery
• Sexual Battery
• Sexual Exploitation of a Child
• Electronic Solicitation of a Child
• Indecent Solicitation of a Child
• Breach of Privacy
• Child Abuse
• Aggravated Endangerment of a Child
• Endangerment of a Child
• Lewd and Lascivious Behavior
• Unlawful Sexual Relations