Kansas City Police Department, Missouri
End of Watch: Friday, July 15, 1960
Age: 46
Tour of Duty: 10 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Drowned
Date of Incident: July 15, 1960
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Sergeant Kieffer Burris and Patrolman Herbert Bybee drowned while practicing scuba diving at Lake Lotawana for an underwater recovery unit that the department was forming.
At approximately 4:00 p.m., the two were spotted by a resident of the lake area, and everything seemed alright. However, at approximately 5:30 p.m., one of the residents noticed Sergeant Burris floating face down in the water, and Patrolman Bybee's body was recovered a short time later. Patrolman Bybee's tank was empty, but Sergeant Burris' tank still had air pressure, so the exact cause of this incident was unknown.
Sergeant Burres had served with the Kansas City Police Department for ten years. He was survived by his wife and daughter.