At the same time that the Kansas Department of Corrections is emphasizing efforts to help thousands of parolees succeed after release from prison, it is funding substance abuse treatment for only a fraction of them.

Although experts say that generally two-thirds of offenders have a history of substance abuse, the department has provided no money for community-based substance abuse treatment for two budget years in a row.

So substance abuse -- one of the biggest problems among offenders and a threat to public safety -- is receiving some of the least funding from the department at a time when the investment might count the most, experts say.

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The ability of Wichita police to find illegal drugs is moving one more set of paw prints forward.

The Police Department is getting a third drug-sniffing dog, which will allow the department to have a canine drug detector on the job seven days a week.

The new dog is a 1-year-old, 40-pound Belgian Malinois named Kelly.

She and her handler, Officer Chad Cooper, will be based at the community policing office in Old Town, probably by August. First, she must undergo two months of intensive training.

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Former Trego County Sheriff Curtis Bender has been indicted on federal charges of distributing cocaine shortly before he resigned last April, U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren announced today.

A warrant had been issued for Bender's arrest, and Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents arrested him this morning in Lawrence, said Kena Rice, a spokeswoman for Melgren.

"Law enforcement officers hold a position of trust in our communities, and that trust is rarely violated," Melgren said in a prepared statement. "However, on those rare occasions when allegations arise of wrongdoing by a law enforcement officer, the allegations will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted. Those who uphold and enforce the law must abide by the law."

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The changes at the Wichita Police Department should address Judge Rebecca Pilshaw's concerns.

A week after a judge criticized a police internal investigation into allegations of officer misconduct, Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams said the department has changed its rules to ensure objective investigations.

In a wide-ranging interview Thursday afternoon about the allegations, Williams said that he -- not the supervisor of one of the officers accused of misconduct -- initiated the misconduct investigation. He also said the department is reminding officers not to repeat a request for a search without a warrant if a person says no.

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A judge on Wednesday turned down a request by District Attorney Nola Foulston for a hearing to reconsider a decision to dismiss evidence in a drug case.

Shortly after Foulston's request -- made in a statement to reporters in her office -- District Judge Rebecca Pilshaw turned it down.

The defense lawyer in the case, Kurt Kerns, called Foulston's public request a "blatant attempt to intimidate the judge."

"The way she (Foulston) brought it forward was an obvious attempt to persuade the judge to change her mind," Kerns said. The "respectful and appropriate" way to do it, Kerns said, is to file an appeal.

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Judge Rebecca Pilshaw is expected to announce today if she sees a pattern of rights violations by Wichita police officers.

After several days of testimony, a judge expects to disclose today whether she sees a pattern of rights violations by four Wichita police officers.

The broader question for District Judge Rebecca Pilshaw is whether the officers committed illegal arrests, searches and seizures in up to 15 cases over the past two years. In a hearing last week, Pilshaw said she found one of the searches to be illegal.

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But District Judge Rebecca Pilshaw finds no pattern of unconstitutional searches by the Wichita Police Department.

In a closely watched ruling, a judge on Friday found serious misconduct but no pattern of constitutional violations by a special Wichita police team.

The finding came in a hearing on whether to suppress evidence the officers obtained on a suspected methamphetamine lab. District Judge Rebecca Pilshaw dismissed that evidence after finding the search unconstitutional.

And, in a sweeping statement, Pilshaw assailed the police internal investigation into allegations of officer misconduct. The investigation "lacked credibility," Pilshaw said, because one of the investigators was associated with the accused officers and because it did not include interviews with any of the people whose rights had allegedly been violated.

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A judge ruled Thursday that misconduct allegations against four Wichita police officers -- so far kept private -- can be examined in open court by a drug defendant's lawyer.

"I believe these issues need to have a full hearing," District Judge Rebecca Pilshaw said. "I would like to hear these officers testify under oath."

In a news conference after the hearing, Police Chief Norman Williams said "it is unfortunate that a department administrative issue has reached the level of being addressed in District Court."

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