KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) -
The Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office is investigating one of its own.
A sheriff's deputy assigned to work in the Wyandotte County jail allegedly left her little girl alone in her personal car parked in the garage behind the jail. The deputy allegedly did this while she was working.
"We've had an allegation where one of our employees left a child in a vehicle while they were going to work," said Lt. Kelli Bailiff, spokeswoman for the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office.
Part of the investigation, Bailiff said, will include determining whether this "was a one time incident or multiple incidents."
A county employee walking through the parking garage noticed the 4-year-old girl alone in a vehicle about 6:15 p.m. July 6.
Both KCK police and sheriff's deputies responded. They discovered the car was running with the keys in the ignition and the air conditioner blowing.
"If it turns out to be true, it's disappointing," Bailiff said. "We put out great safety tips and to possibly have an employee allegedly violate one of those great safety points is disappointing... We stress this to the public every day - that you don't leave children in vehicles. Whether the car is running or not."
The child was turned over to the care of state social workers while the sheriff's office investigates the deputy.
Investigators are looking at surveillance video and the deputy's key card swipe history to determine how long the child was in the car.
Janette Fennell, founder of the Kids and Cars.org, said on average 38 children die annually in a hot vehicle. She said leaving the car running creates other dangers, such as larceny or the child leaving the vehicle or accidentally taking the vehicle out of park.
"The message needs to be loud and clear. It is never safe to leave children in a car alone. Period," she said. "I don't care what time of year it is."
Once the investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to Wyandotte County District Attorney Jerry Gorman's office for review.
The deputy under scrutiny joined the agency two years ago.
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