Roll of Honor
Incident
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.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-B3B37C01- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Burris gave the Kansas City Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Kansas City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Burris.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Kieffer C. Burris is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MO, 237 of 813 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this state's fallen. That is 1.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Kansas City Police Department, 47 of 120 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Kieffer C. Burris's cause is highlighted.
How Kieffer C. Burris Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Kieffer C. Burris is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
119 officers from Kansas City Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
