Judge, former WYCO DA, Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Published on November 03, 2023
Judge, former WYCO Deputy District Attorney, Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from KCDAA
Judge Karen Wittman of the Kansas City, Kansas Municipal Court, recently received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Kansas County & District Attorneys Association, the professional organization for prosecutors in the State of Kansas.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a regular KCDAA member for his/her longevity as a prosecutor. The nominee must have served no less than 25 years in a prosecutor position, and not previously received this award. Nominations may be made by either the prosecutor himself/herself or by a colleague.
Judge Wittman, who was a longtime Assistant Attorney General for the State of Kansas specializing in DUI law and traffic safety, has been the Deputy District Attorney in the Wyandotte County District Attorney's Office for the last 6 years before being sworn in as a municipal judge in the Kansas City, Kansas Municipal Court in February 2023.
Mark A. Dupree, Wyandotte County District Attorney, congratulated Judge Wittman for her award and praised her legal work in his office.
"We are extremely happy about Judge Wittman receiving her award at KCDAA. She has had a long and illustrious career starting with forensics, prosecution and now on the bench. As a prosecutor she trained law enforcement and prosecutors on traffic related matters and was/is a leading expert in DUI law and all matters traffic. She created the DUI bootcamp that prosecutors now attend and while in our office volunteered to be on call 24/7 for all traffic matters, as well as handled many high level/high profiled cases. Throughout all that she did for the citizens of Wyandotte County while in the D.A.’s office, she never once complained. Judge Wittman is a true Minister of Justice, and the State of Kansas is truly blessed that she lives here. We congratulate her and are very happy for her. We will use one of her quotes on traffic matters as it personifies Judge Wittman.
“Anyone who knows me would say I am not a perfectionist, not a person who insists on exactness. But I do have one thing that I must insist on - stop calling impaired driving crashes “accidents.”
Prior to attending law school, Wittman received her Bachelor of Science degree in Forensic Science from the University of Central Florida in Orlando in 1981 and worked in a crime lab. She became an expert witness in Forensic Chemistry and testified as an expert in state and federal courts in Florida. This work inspired her to apply to law school. Wittman attended Washburn Law School in Topeka, Kan. and started her legal career as a legal intern at the Shawnee County District Attorney's Office in 1989. She was hired as an Assistant District Attorney prior to graduating law school. She passed the Kansas Bar in 1991.
Whitten has been a prosecutor throughout her legal career. She has trained a number of prosecutor interns. For KCDAA she has provided a DUI Law Book for the last 19 years and has given many presentations for the organization. As an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Kansas, she was appointed the state's first Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor and provided training and assistance to both cops and prosecutors. She was the Attorney General's representative on the state's DUI Commission. She has testified before the Kansas Legislature on DUI law and helped change the state's "leaving the scene" law.
In 2016, Judge Wittman received the Kansas People Saving People Award from the Kansas Department of Transportation. In 2018 she received the Prosecutor of the Year from the Kansas Highway Patrol. In 2021, she received the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's Public Service Award for her commitment to traffic safety.
Wittman expressed her deep honor in receiving the KCDAA award.
"To be recognized by the Kansas County and District Attorney’s Association for the work I did as a prosecutor means so much. The KCDAA instilled in me my job as a prosecutor was to the safety of our community and our state as well as a voice for victims. I believe this award says “job accomplished”. I appreciate the organization’s encouragement and guidance to get me here," she said.
Judge Wittman is a lector at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church. She volunteers extensively at Harvesters Food Bank and Uplift Organization serving the homeless in the Kansas City Metro area.
