The police chief who led a highly criticized raid of a small Kansas newspaper has been suspended, the mayor confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday.
Marion Mayor Dave Mayfield in a text said he suspended Chief Gideon Cody on Thursday. He declined to discuss his decision further and did not say whether Cody was still being paid.
Voice messages and emails from the AP seeking comment from Cody’s lawyers were not immediately returned Saturday.
The Aug. 11 searches of the Marion County Record’s office and the homes of its publisher and a City Council member have been sharply criticized, putting Marion at the center of a debate over the press protections offered by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Honest question, what structures or authorities exist outside of the city level to investigate something like this? Is it all down to what the mayor decides, or can the Kansas governor or state patrol launch an investigation? What about federal agencies like the FBI?
I could be misremembering, but from the original story it sounded like the mayor was likely tied up in the motivation for the original raid. Not surprising for a small town, really. Once you get down to a few hundred people, there’s only so many businesses and families to go around.
The US Dept of Justice Civil Rights Division, since violations of the First Amendment are alleged
https://www.justice.gov/crt/law-enforcement-misconduct#:~:text=The Department of Justice (%22The,violations%20by%20law%20enforcement%20officers.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is supposedly investigating the situation, but there have been conflicting reports of what they consider to be within the scope of their investigation.
Eh, small town, metro, I’m more likely to be surprised at little to no corruption, well heeled.