A federal judge has ordered the Kansas Highway Patrol to pay $2.3 million in attorney fees and other costs related to a lawsuit filed over the KHP’s “Kansas Two-Step” practice during traffic stops.
The judgment is from a lawsuit filed in 2019 by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas over the two-step practice. That involves a trooper pulling a car over, getting preliminary information, then starting to walk back to the patrol car but stopping and turning back to the driver to act on a suspicion to search the vehicle. A judge ruled that this procedure violates the driver’s rights.
The KHP did not provide an official response to the latest ruling, pending an evaluation by the Kansas Attorney General’s Office. The ACLU said the $2.3 million judgment is separate from previous payments to individuals represented by the ACLU in the case.
