In a twist worthy of a detective novel, but with less trench coats and more subpoenas, a Kansas sheriff who had a penchant for surveilling reporters is now finding the telescopic lens pointed squarely back at him. Marion County Sheriff Jeff Soyez is under investigation by the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, which, contrary to its bureaucratic name, actually does a fair bit more than file paperwork. They regulate who gets to walk around with a badge and a penchant for authority, and whether said individuals should be doing so at all.
This newly described investigation comes mere months after the sheriff’s department made national headlines for raiding the Marion County Record newspaper. The seizure included computers, phones and undoubtedly some choice opinions from press freedom advocates who have seen better days. At the heart of the raid was a rather thinly veiled concern involving the paper’s reporting on a local restaurateur’s driving record. But as it turns out, enforcing the law does not necessarily give you carte blanche to interpret it as a choose-your-own-adventure novel. Who knew?
The case saw widespread condemnation. Press organizations, media law experts and anyone who has read the First Amendment took issue with the raid, not least because the newspaper’s co-owner, 98-year-old Joan Meyer, died the day after from what her son described as shock and grief. It was perhaps the first time in decades that a printing press was seen as so dangerous it needed to be raided like an underground bunker.
Now the Kansas agency responsible for certifying law enforcement officials has confirmed it is looking into the sheriff’s actions, a step which could result in anything from a slap on the wrist to a complete revocation of his law enforcement certification. The sheriff, for his part, has yet to comment, though in fairness it could be that his lawyer advised him not to talk or that, like several local officials before him, he underestimated exactly how loud the media gets when you try to silence it.
The investigation may take months, but given the public scrutiny and the glacial pace of governmental accountability, the sheriff may want to start getting comfortable under that microscope.
After all, sometimes the long arm of the law finds itself trying to explain exactly where it was reaching.