District Attorney investigating police ticket scandal
LAWRENCE - The identities of two suspended Lawrence police officers involved in a ticket scandal may not stay secret for long. Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson is now investigating the case and trying to determine if the officers' possible misconduct may impact some of the county's open and closed cases.
Last week, the city confirmed that the two high ranking officers were placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation. In May, an anonymous tip came into the police department indicating the officers were offering KU basketball tickets to other officers to dismiss speeding tickets. The basketball tickets were coming from one of the five defendants in the KU ticket scandal. That defendant is now imprison.
Although the FBI found no crime was committed, the District Attorney is now taking another look at the case. The bigger issue might be the credibility of the officers who may have violated the city's gratuity policy. If they were key witnesses in past or present criminal cases, Branson could be forced to dismiss those cases. Branson says defense attorneys will be notified if any cases are in question.