48-204. Adjutant general; powers and duties; appointment of security and law enforcement officers. (a) The adjutant general shall:

(1) Be in control of the military department of the state and subordinate only to the governor in matters pertaining to the department;

(2) have general supervision over all the subordinate military departments, including the department of the army national guard and the department of the air national guard;

(3) perform such duties as pertain to the adjutant general's department under the regulations and usage of the army of the United States;

(4) superintend the preparation of all returns and reports required by the United States from the state;

(5) require a certificate of the military service to be furnished, in accordance with K.S.A. 73-209, and amendments thereto, to any soldier who has served in the army in any of the state military organizations; and

(6) audit and pass upon all claims of a military character against the state, and no contract of a military nature against the state shall be valid or paid until approved by the adjutant general.

(b) The adjutant general is authorized to:

(1) Adopt regulations pertaining to the preparation and rendering of reports and returns and to the care and preservation of public property as in the adjutant general's opinion the conditions demand, and such regulations shall be operative and in force when promulgated in the form of general orders, circulars or circular letters;

(2) administer oaths in matters pertaining to the duties of the office as relates to:

(A) Claims against the state;

(B) the organization of boards and courts of inquiry;

(C) affidavits covering loss of military property belonging to the state or the United States;

(D) oaths of office of officers of the Kansas national guard;

(E) statements and reports required from officers pertaining to property and money accountability and expenditures; and

(F) any other official military matters coming before the adjutant general;

(3) adopt an appropriate seal for use in the office, to be affixed to all oaths that the adjutant general administers under authority of law, and to authenticate all certificates required of the adjutant general;

(4) appoint such officers as necessary as security officers for the protection of all national guard property and equipment, owned by or under the control of the Kansas national guard wherever located in the state of Kansas, including when transported over public roads or located on temporary national guard sites, and for the protection of persons and property associated with the national guard; and

(5) appoint law enforcement officers to serve under the command of the adjutant general.

(c) (1) Those members of the adjutant general's department who are appointed as law enforcement officers must meet the requirements of the Kansas law enforcement training act, K.S.A. 74-5601 through 74-5623, and amendments thereto.

(2) A law enforcement officer engaged in the protective functions specified in subsection (b)(4) shall possess and exercise all general law enforcement powers, rights, privileges, protections and immunities in every county where there is located any Kansas national guard property. All persons arrested by a law enforcement officer may be turned over to the appropriate local police or county sheriff in whose jurisdiction the offense was committed to be processed in the same manner as other persons turned over to such police or sheriff or may book such arrested person at the jail in the jurisdiction of the arrest. Such law enforcement officer shall complete any required reports, arrest affidavits and other documents associated with the arrest. These reports shall be kept on file with the office of the adjutant general, unless a memorandum of agreement with the local law enforcement agency specifies otherwise.

(3) While on duty, security officers or law enforcement officers appointed pursuant to subsection (b)(4) or (b)(5), as applicable, shall wear and display publicly a badge of office.

History: L. 1901, ch. 255, § 4; L. 1903, ch. 359, § 1, (4); L. 1905, ch. 303, § 1, (4); R.S. 1923, 48-204; L. 1957, ch. 306, § 2; L. 1995, ch. 24, § 1; L. 2007, ch. 101, § 1; L. 2024, ch. 78, § 39; July 1.