The police chief in Kansas known for leading a controversial raid on a local newspaper has resigned following his suspension and ongoing criticism of his tactics.

The Resignation: Chief Gideon Cody resigned Monday, following his suspension for reasons not yet made public.
* The resignation came weeks after a local prosecutor said the August search of the Marion County Record lacked sufficient evidence.
* Chief Cody’s search warrants were obtained under the premise of potential identity theft and crimes related to a local restaurant owner’s driving records.
* Critics, like the newspaper’s attorney, suggest the raids were more to uncover the newspaper’s sources regarding Cody’s past work as a police captain in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Raid: The impact of Cody’s actions on the newspaper staff and its operations has been significant.
* Newly obtained body camera footage of the search reveals an officer finding documents in a reporter’s desk and beckoning Cody over to view them.
* Editor and publisher Eric Meyer, blames the stress of these raids for the subsequent death of his 98-year-old mother, the paper’s co-owner.
* The newspaper is accusing Chief Cody of trying to find out what information it had obtained about his past.

Lawsuits and investigation: The police chief’s actions have instigated legal and investigative processes.
* Cody is facing one federal lawsuit with expectations of others to come.
* The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has taken charge of the probe into the situation and has not yet revealed its findings.
* Deb Gruver, the reporter who’d been investigating Chief Cody, has filed the lawsuit and recently left the newspaper.

Public Reaction: The raids have spurred a national debate on press freedoms.
* Marion, a town of about 1,900 residents, has been thrust into the national, and international, spotlight due to Chief Cody’s aggressive tactics.
* The controversy has added stress to the town, the newspaper, and its personnel, even contributing to the death of the newspaper’s co-owner, claims the Record’s editor.

View original article on NPR

This summary was created by an AI system. The use of this summary is subject to our Terms of Service.