Police oversight gaps surface across county
Staff writer
Questions about how police officers are vetted and monitored have surfaced across Marion County, where departments have relied on provisionally certified officers and faced turnover tied to licensing and background concerns.
Officer Eric Watts, who was hired in Peabody despite a lawsuit and provisional certification, eventually lost his law enforcement license after additional allegations surfaced.
In Marion, the police department at one point had only one fully certified officer after provisionally certified chief Gideon Cody, whose appointmennt was criticized by former co-workers with the Kansas City police department, resigned in the wake of a 2023 raid on the Record newsroom and two homes.
Several other officers have been terminated after allegedly breaking the law or departmental rules.
Local officials say departments do follow standard hiring procedures.
“We pretty much do it the same for everybody. We’ve got the regular application, and then a more detailed one that goes into references, where you’ve lived, and whether you’ve been involved in a lawsuit or criminal case,” Undersheriff Larry Starkey said.
Starkey said departments contact prior agencies and can request training and employment records through the state licensing system.
The process also includes psychological evaluations, drug screening, and basic competency testing.
Still, action at the local level can come before the state process is complete.
“If it’s something where we have to terminate them, we’ll do that, and then there’s a form that we have to send to CPOST within like 30 days,” he said.
Other departments say they take additional steps to screen applicants before hiring.
“We talk to current employers, past employers, coworkers, references, and even people those references know,” Hillsboro Police Chief Jessey Hiebert said.
The Hillsboro Police Department reviews state certification records to check for prior disciplinary issues, conducts criminal background checks, and expands reference checks beyond those provided by applicants.
Hiebert said investigators also review applicants’ social media activity as part of the vetting process.
The department has not encountered cases requiring termination for misconduct during his tenure, he said.
Across Marion County, departments have continued to hire while relying on provisional certification, even as concerns in some cases surfaced only after officers were already on the job.
A bipartisan bill introduced by U,S. Rep. Derek Schmidt would allow state agencies that license police officers to access more complete federal criminal history records when evaluating candidates.