Looks like some dirty
Kansas City Kansas police officers finally got caught with there hand in the cookie jar. How disgusting is it for the public to see these men charged with enforcing the state's laws to use that position to gain access to people's homes and
steal from them. It makes citizens now question what else these officers have done. If they will
steal from a home, would they
falsify evidence? Would they frame people for
crimes they didn't commit? Where do these jerks draw the line between right and wrong?
Here is the story on
KCTV5
3 KCK officers plead guilty as part of FBI sting operation
KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) -
A third member of the
KCK SWAT Team pleaded
guilty as part of a sting operation to catch officers
stealing during raids. Wednesday morning, Jeffrey Bell
pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy against civil rights. Two other members of the
KCK SWAT Team pleaded guilty to similar charges Tuesday.
Dustin Sillings and Darryl Forrest each pleaded guilty to one count of violation of civil rights during hearings in U.S.
District Court. The remaining charges against them were dropped in exchange for their
guilty pleas. In his plea, Bell admitted that on Jan. 4, 2011, he, Sillings and Forrest
stole several items from a
KCK home while they believed they were serving a
search warrant.
The three officers were indicted by a federal grand jury this summer. They were
arrested in January as part of an FBI sting operation of the Selective Crime Occurrence Reduction and Enforcement (SCORE) tactical unit to determine if officers were
stealing cash or property from the homes in which they were
serving warrants. A complaint from a homeowner set in motion events that led to the FBI sting operation designed to catch unscrupulous officers, authorities said. Property was
stolen from homes during the execution of
search warrants from January 2010 through January 2011, according to
court documents. The three officers
pleaded not guilty this summer. The KCK Police Department is waiting for the
criminal process to end before moving to take disciplinary action against the officers.
Kathryn Hoefer Vratil, the presiding
judge for the federal courts in
Kansas, was incredulous in asking Forrest about his actions. She wanted to know how a veteran
police officer could throw his whole career and life away for a camcorder and cash. Forrest mumbled that he was influenced by others, calling himself "a follower." Forrest joined the
KCK Police Department eight years ago.
The officers are alleged to have
stolen property while executing several
search warrants at residences located in
Wyandotte County, according to court documents. As many as five raids may have been involved, according to court documents. Investigators placed $2,500 cash, electronic games, a music player,
drugs and a handgun inside a home that had surveillance cameras and bugs inside.
Sillings was accused of
stealing $340 planted by the FBI in the January raid, according to court documents. He is also accused of
stealing at least six PlayStation video games from January 2010 through January 2011 during the execution of five separate
search warrants. According to testimony in court Tuesday, Sillings was recorded as saying during one of the raids, "It's a shame the house didn't have more swag."
Forrest was accused of
stealing a Nintendo game, a Nintendo game case and an Apple iPod Touch belonging to the FBI during the sting raid, according to court documents. In addition, Forrest is accused of
stealing $300 during the sting
raid. He also allegedly stole a camcorder from a woman during a July 8, 2010, search. The camcorder was found in Forrest's patrol car. Forrest and Sillings now face 18 to 33 months in
prison. They could have faced up to 10 years in prison if
convicted of all the charges. In exchange for a reduced prison sentence, they must cooperate with
prosecutors.
Bell is alleged to have taken at least three PlayStation PS3s during execution of three separate
search warrants from January 2010 through January 2011, according to court documents. During the sting raid, Bell allegedly stole a Nintendo game player, a Nintendo game and other electronics. Lawsuits are pending by other officers who were detained but ultimately not charged. One of the officers was recently accused of firing bullets into a car. Bell is set for
sentencing June 5. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in
federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Forrest and Sillings are also set for sentencing June 5.
Unified Government Mayor Joe Reardon issued a response to the trials involving the
KCK officer.
"As mayor, I expect the utmost integrity and professionalism from our
police officers and a commitment to ensure the highest ethical standards are provided to our citizens.
I support Chief Rick Armstrong's earlier decision to pursue this criminal investigation and his unwavering efforts to ensure that the integrity of this police department will not be compromised by a few individuals. There are many men and women in blue that are committed to serving our community each and every day with respect and honor; they've earned our trust. As mayor, I appreciate the hard work of these officers and hope the community will also continue to support their efforts," he said.
