Mo. Gov. Parson orders flags at half-staff in honor of KC police officer, K-9

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KFVS) - Governor Mike Parson ordered flags at half-staff at all government buildings in Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte Counties in honor of Kansas City Police Department Officer James Muhlbauer and K-9 Champ.

The flags will be at half-staff on Wednesday, February 22, the day Officer Muhlbauer is laid to rest.

“Officer James Muhlbauer devoted his life to protecting the residents of Kansas City, and for 20 years, he excelled in his chosen profession, putting service to his community at the forefront of all he did,” Governor Parson said in a news release. “For the last year, Officer Muhlbauer and K-9 Champ worked as inseparable partners and guardians of the community. They died senselessly, but we will forever remember their contributions to the betterment of Kansas City and Missouri.”

According to the release, Muhlbauer and K-9 Champ were on duty with the Kansas City PD on Feb. 15 when a speeding driver hit the police vehicle they were in, fatally injuring Muhlbauer and Champ.

Officer Muhlbauer, 42, entered the Kansas City Regional Police Academy in December 2002 and was commissioned as a Kansas City police officer on June 27, 2003. In 2014, he was responsible for the arrest of a notorious killer who was convicted of murdering five people.

Police K-9 Champ was trained in Houston, Texas, and began working for KCPD on January 20, 2022, when Champ was assigned to partner with Officer Muhlbauer. K-9 Champ was certified as a dual purpose narcotics and patrol canine from the National Police Canine Association.

The Kansas City Police Department serves portions of the four counties, and Officer Muhlbauer and K-9 Champ had worked in all four.