Kansas police chief suspended after raid on local newspaper

Marion, Kansas police chief Gideon Cody was suspended this week after he conducted a series of raids including on the office of a local newspaper.

According to the Marion County Record, the paper that was raided, Cody was suspended by Mayor David Mayfield, and the suspension took effect on Thursday. The city administrator announced the suspension in an email to city council members on Friday.

The newsroom, the home of its publisher, Eric Meyer, and the home of Vice Mayor Ruth Herbel were all searched on Aug. 11. Cody said he had reason to believe that a reporter had committed identity theft, alleging in previously unreleased court documents that the reporter impersonated someone or lied about her intentions when she obtained the driving records of a local business owner.

The reporter said she was acting on a tip, examining a previous DUI from the restaurant owner to see if she could obtain a liquor license for her business.

The police department faced criticism for the raid and for seizing computers and cellphones. Meyer said he believes the raid stressed out his mother enough to cause her death that weekend. Press freedom watchdogs condemned the actions, saying it is a violation of the Constitution’s protection for a free press.

“Until Thursday, however, Mayfield had been steadfast in stating that he would not suspend Cody until after Kansas Bureau of Investigation released a report on the raids,” the paper reported Saturday.

No report has been released. Mayoral candidate Mike Powers said that suspension could precede termination. Under the city’s code, the mayor has the right to suspend a police chief but the city council is the group with the power to fire a police chief, the Record reported.