MISSION MUNICIPAL COURT
Spreading over a small 2.68 square miles, the city of Mission houses almost 10,000 people within the borders. The small town was once a place to stop to rest while settlers moved westward along the Santa Fe Trail during the 1800’s. Although the city is rather small, it is bustling with small businesses, restaurants, bars and working-class families. Neighboring some other small towns such as Merriam, Fairway, Mission Hills and Roeland Park; Mission is a great place to live with easy access to the highways and the KC Metropolitan area.
The city of Mission has one municipal courthouse located on the Northwest corner of 61st Street and Woodson Road. Small neighboring cities can also be confused with Mission – particularly Mission Hills, Westwood, and Fairway – but these cities have their own respective municipal courthouses where they handle their own traffic/city ordinance infractions. Since one of the main roads running through Mission is Johnson Drive, the area is highly policed – in fact, in 2013 data suggested that the city averaged 2 tickets per hour for a many varying citations from not wearing a seatbelt to DUIs. The city covers a small section of I-35 from Metcalf to Lamar so traffic tickets are easily given out by the Mission Police in that area.
In order for the Mission City Municipal Court to hear a case two criteria must be met: (1) the alleged violation must have occurred inside the city limits of Mission; and (2) the violation charged is a city ordinance violation. Examples of frequently charged city ordinance violations include DUI, driving on a suspended license, marijuana possession, trespass, theft, minor in possession, drug paraphernalia, pet violations and a few other “code” violations. Generally, code violations deal with the maintenance and upkeep of homes and businesses.
Courthouse: The Mission Municipal Court is located within Mission City hall on the Northwest corner of 61st Street and Woodson Road. The building also houses various administrative offices, city council chambers and the Mission City Police Department.
The address of the Mission City Municipal Court is:
6090 Woodson Road, Mission, Kansas 66202
Court Personnel
Judge: Only one judge hears cases in the Mission City Municipal Court.
The Judge in Mission is: Keith Drill
Prosecutor: The responsibility of the Mission City Attorney’s office is to making charging decisions and prosecute alleged crimes that take place in Mission. In all criminal cases, Mission is represented by a city prosecutor whose office is at a separate location. The Mission prosecutors are only available to discuss cases during the times when court is in session.
The City Prosecutor in Mission is: Contracted with Payne and Jones
Court Clerk: The Court Clerk’s office is entrusted with the administrative tasks of conducting court. The office is located within the Police Department in City Hall. Several employees work at the Court Clerk’s office and their job is to keep the court’s schedule, accept payments on behalf of the court and perform other essential administrative functions of the court.
The Court Clerk in Mission is: Martha Sumrall
Court Security: Kansas law requires court security for all municipal courts. Therefore, the Mission court has ample security measures to ensure the safety of those attending the proceedings. There is plenty of gallery seating for 50+ people. The court also has the technology to view video or audio recorded evidence and can also meet with defendants virtually if they are unable to appear live (i.e. in jail or other valid circumstances).
How do you appeal a case out of Mission Municipal Court? Click the link for more information on appeals out of Municipal Court.
What is the actual law in Mission? The law varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Each city has their own laws and they may be slightly different than the State statute. Below are links to the actual text to some of the most commonly charged crimes in Mission Municipal Court.