{"id":2051473,"date":"2023-10-01T10:41:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-01T14:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kansas-police-chief-suspended-following-raid-on-newspaper\/"},"modified":"2023-10-01T10:43:44","modified_gmt":"2023-10-01T14:43:44","slug":"kansas-police-chief-suspended-following-raid-on-newspaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kansas-police-chief-suspended-following-raid-on-newspaper\/","title":{"rendered":"Kansas Police Chief Suspended After Raid on Newspaper"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkansas-police-chief-suspended-following-raid-on-newspaper%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2051473&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>The \u2063Police Chief of Marion, Kansas, \u2063Suspended Following Raid on Local Newspaper<\/h2>\n<p>The police chief of Marion, Kansas, has been suspended following a raid on the\u2062 office of \u200da local \u200bnewspaper.<\/p>\n<p>Marion Mayor David Mayfield suspended \u200dPolice Chief Gideon Cody on Sept. 28, according to the Marion \u2062County Record, the newspaper\u2063 that was raided in\u2064 mid-August, \u2063sparking claims of abuse\u2062 of \u200bpower.<\/p>\n<p>The Marion Police Department \u2064has confirmed Mr. Cody&#8217;s suspension to\u2062 several media\u200d outlets.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>Related Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/fbi-opens-investigation-into-baton-rouge-police-over-abuse-allegations-5498433?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">FBI Opens Investigation \u2064Into Baton Rouge Police Over Abuse \u2064Allegations<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>9\/26\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/majority-of-likely-voters-fear-america-is-becoming-a-police-state-poll-indicates-5498264?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">Majority of Likely Voters Fear America is Becoming \u2063a Police State, Poll Indicates<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>9\/25\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Marion County Record \u2062reported that City Administrator Brogan Jones circulated \u200dan email \u2064to the\u200c city council \u200bnotifying them of Mr.\u2062 Cody&#8217;s suspension.<\/p>\n<p>The newspaper \u200calso reported\u2062 that \u2064Mr. \u2064Mayfield was \u200cdetermined\u2063 to wait on \u200da decision\u2063 on the suspension until the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) \u200dhad concluded its investigation on\u200d the raids, which also targeted the home of the city&#8217;s vice mayor.<\/p>\n<p>However, \u2064KBI\u2063 has yet to release \u2064the report to the public and it&#8217;s \u2063not clear if\u2064 the mayor had been briefed on the status of the investigation before making\u2064 his \u200ddecision.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2062 Epoch\u2064 Times has reached out to the mayor&#8217;s office and \u2063to\u200c the KBI with requests for clarification \u2064and comment, but received no reply by press time.<\/p>\n<p>KBI \u200dspokesperson Melissa Underwood was cited by the Marion County Record\u2064 as saying that the investigation &#8220;remains ongoing&#8221; and the case findings will be presented to the county attorney\u2062 when it \u2062concludes.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Cody did not immediately \u200brespond to a request for comment\u200d from The Epoch Times, but he said earlier via email \u200bthat he believes the search was justified as there was suspicion of identity theft and illegal use\u200c of a computer.<\/p>\n<figure>\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.example.com\/image.jpg\" alt=\"Marion County Record Raid\" style=\"width: 640px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"><figcaption>An empty \u200dspot on reporter Phyllis Zorn&#8217;s desk shows where the tower for her\u2062 computer sat\u200b before law enforcement\u2064 officers seized it in a raid on the Marion County \u2063Record, in Marion County, Kan., on Aug. 13, 2023. (John Hanna\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>&#8216;Get Out\u200d of My House&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>On\u2062 Aug. 11, the Marion County Record \u200bnewsroom, its publisher Eric Meyer&#8217;s home, and Vice Mayor\u2064 Ruth Herbel&#8217;s \u200dhome were searched by Marion police officers\u200d and sheriff&#8217;s deputies, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/first-amendment-concerns-raised-after-police-seize-materials-from-small-town-kansas-newspaper-office-and-staff-homes-during-raid\/\" title=\"First Amendment concerns arise as police seize materials from Kansas newspaper office and staff homes during raid.\">seized personal cell phones<\/a> and computers.<\/p>\n<p>The raids\u2062 were tied to a complaint from local restaurant owner Kari Newell, \u2063who accused the Marion \u2064County Record of illegally accessing and disseminating sensitive information about her driving record.<\/p>\n<p>The police chief said in court documents that he believed a Marion County Record reporter had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/video-98-year-old-kansas-newspaper-owner-tells-police-get-out-of-my-house-during-raid\/\" title=\"98-Year-Old Kansas Newspaper Owner Defiantly Tells Police to Leave During Raid\">committed identity theft<\/a> by accessing the records.<\/p>\n<p>He wrote in \u2064affidavits (pdf) that &#8220;downloading the document involved either impersonating \u200dthe victim or lying about the reasons why the record was being sought.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But reporter Phyllis Zorn, Marion \u200cCounty Record editor \u200band publisher\u2064 Eric Meyer, and \u2064the newspaper\u2019s attorney have all insisted that no\u2064 laws were broken when Ms. Zorn\u2064 accessed a\u200b public state website for\u2062 information \u200con Ms. Newell.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Meyer said that\u2064 the police\u2062 search on his home, where his 98-year-old\u2062 mother was \u200bpresent during the raid, caused her to die due to stress several days \u200dafter\u200c the incident.<\/p>\n<p>Video recently emerged showing\u200b Mr. Meyer&#8217;s mother,\u200c Joan\u200b Meyer, confronting police\u200c officers as they searched the home.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;Gestapo \u2063Tactics&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>In an interview with The Associated \u2062Press, Mr. Meyer expressed criticism of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/371-charged-for-covid-19-fraud-totaling-836-million-doj\/\" title=\"DOJ charges 371 for 6M COVID-19 fraud.\">law\u200d enforcement action<\/a>\u2064 that\u200d he believes was responsible for his mother&#8217;s death.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is\u2062 Gestapo tactics from World\u200d War II,\u201d he said of the raid, which has been criticized by the\u2062 Washington-based Reporters Committee for Freedom of \u2062the Press and dozens of\u2063 media organizations \u2062for \u200dallegedly having \u200binterfered with the paper&#8217;s First Amendment-protected newsgathering.<\/p>\n<p>Press freedom \u200dwatchdogs and others have condemned the raid, which was \u200dunusual\u2064 as news organizations are largely protected from government intrusion \u200dunder\u2062 the First Amendment&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elderly-owner-of-small-town-kansas-newspaper-dies-from-stress-after-police-raid-report\/\" title=\"Elderly Kansas Newspaper Owner Dies Due to Stress After Police Raid: Report\">free press guarantees<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In\u200d a letter (pdf) to Mr. Cody, attorneys on behalf \u200bof the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press said the raid seemed \u2063overly broad and intrusive and that\u200d it \u200dmay\u2063 have\u200d broken the law.<\/p>\n<p>The letter urged Mr. Cody to immediately return any seized equipment \u200band records to the newspaper and \u200dlaunch \u2062an independent review into the department\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n<p>The seized items \u2062were later \u2062returned, \u200cbut the KBI said\u2063 it would continue the investigation \u2062into\u2063 the circumstances of the raids.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What actions have been taken so\u200c far regarding the suspension of Police Chief Gideon Cody, and \u200cwhat information has been provided about the ongoing investigation<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Tity theft and \u2062illegally accessed Newell&#8217;s driving record. The complaint\u200b prompted an\u200c investigation, which led to the raid on the newspaper&#8217;s office and the homes of its publisher and the vice mayor.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Marion County Record, the raid on \u2062the newspaper&#8217;s office was \u2063conducted on August 11,\u200d along with the search of Eric Meyer&#8217;s home and Vice \u2064Mayor Ruth Herbel&#8217;s residence. During the \u2063raid, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kansas-police-chief-suspended-following-raid-on-newspaper\/\" title=\"Kansas Police Chief Suspended After Raid on Newspaper\">law enforcement officers seized personal cell phones<\/a>\u200c and computers belonging to\u2064 staff members.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200b raid has sparked\u2064 claims of abuse of\u200d power and raised concerns about freedom of the press in Marion, Kansas. The suspension of Police Chief Gideon Cody by Mayor David Mayfield \u200bfurther fueled these concerns.<\/p>\n<p>City \u200cAdministrator Brogan Jones informed the\u2063 city council via \u2063email about \u200dChief Cody&#8217;s suspension, as reported by \u200bthe Marion County Record. The mayor, Mr.\u2063 Mayfield, reportedly decided to wait for the \u2062Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) to conclude its probe\u2062 before making a decision on \u200bthe suspension. The investigations also\u200d targeted the home of the city&#8217;s vice mayor.<\/p>\n<p>However, it remains unclear whether Mayor Mayfield had been briefed\u2064 on the\u2063 status of the investigation before \u2062making his decision. The KBI has not released its report to \u2063the public, and the mayor&#8217;s office\u200b and the KBI have not\u200c provided any clarification or comment on the matter.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200d Epoch Times reached out to both the\u2064 mayor&#8217;s\u200b office and the\u200b KBI for\u2062 further information but received no response\u200d at the time of publication. KBI spokesperson Melissa Underwood stated that the investigation is still ongoing, and the findings will\u2063 be presented to the county attorney once concluded.<\/p>\n<p>While Mr. Cody did not immediately respond \u2063to The \u200bEpoch Times&#8217;\u200d request for comment, he did state via email that he believes the search was justified due to suspicions of \u200cidentity theft and illegal use of a computer.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2063raid \u2064on\u2063 the Marion County Record has raised concerns about press freedom and the abuse of power within law enforcement. \u200dThe newspaper plays \u2064a crucial role in \u200dinforming the community and holding those in power accountable.<\/p>\n<p>Images from the raid show an empty spot on reporter Phyllis Zorn&#8217;s desk, where her \u2064computer tower\u200c once sat. The seizure of personal belongings and equipment belonging to\u2064 journalists raises concerns about the protection \u2062of sources and the confidentiality of\u200d journalistic work.<\/p>\n<p>With the investigation still ongoing and the \u200dsuspension of the \u200bpolice chief, the community of Marion,\u200c Kansas, awaits further information and clarity on the events surrounding the raid.\u2063 The case findings, \u2063once presented \u2063to the county attorney, will shed light on whether the\u200b raid and subsequent actions were justified.<\/p>\n<p>Freedom \u200cof the\u2063 press is\u2063 a fundamental pillar of\u200b a democratic society, and it\u2064 is crucial to \u2062ensure \u2063that journalists can work without\u200d fear\u200b of intimidation or retaliation. The Marion County Record\u2062 case serves as\u200d a reminder of \u200dthe importance of upholding \u200dand protecting press freedom \u200bat all times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The police chief of Marion, Kansas, was suspended by Mayor David Mayfield on Sept. 28. The suspension came after a raid on a local newspaper&#8217;s office, which occurred in mid-August. The incident raised concerns about abuse of power. The Marion Police Department has verified the suspension.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":2051474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2051473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2051473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2051473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2051473\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2051474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2051473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2051473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2051473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}