The public deserves to know: Release full report on Independence police HQ remodeling

This week, we learned through the media that former Independence Police Chief Brad Halsey accused City Manager Zach Walker of not being truthful about the extent of Walker’s knowledge of a nearly $400,000 renovation project at police headquarters.

As of Thursday, Walker had yet to refute Halsey’s claims that he lied. We’d like to see the full details of the five-month independent investigation into the tainted project. That report should be — and needs to be — released as soon as possible.

Only the Independence City Council can authorize its release, according to a city spokesperson. It must do so and allow the public a full understanding of how a public construction project that cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars ended up being handled by a few Independence police officers who received overtime pay for their work.

The Star has requested copies of the full report by independent investigator Dan Nelson on the overtime scandal. Citing privacy concerns, Independence officials declined. Walker hasn’t directly responded to our request for comment.

And that’s part of a bad pattern of withholding information from the public by officials in Independence.

Questioning Walker’s “see no evil, hear no evil” approach to governing seems fair in this case. Using uninsured police employees on no-bid, unwritten contract work, as Nelson’s inquiry found, violates city policy. Of all people, Walker, the city manager should know this.

What’s keeping the city from releasing the report? For that matter, why isn’t Walker communicating with the public? The City Council must act.

The lack of any information from Independence officials does nothing to build trust in city governance. On the city’s website, Walker hasn’t posted a “manager’s report” since he delivered a State of the City address in 2020.

Here’s a thought: Update the section with a copy of the 57-page report detailing how seven Independence police officers collected more than $200,000 in overtime pay to perform construction work at police headquarters — in a no-bid, unwritten agreement, no less.

The Independence City Council authorized a July 19 briefing by Nelson on the investigation’s findings that showed that the renovation project at the police department cost nearly $400,000, with about half that money going toward labor costs. One Independence police officer alone earned $160,000 in overtime.

In his briefing, Nelson blamed a “significant miscommunication” between police and city officials for the overtime scandal. The city verbally agreed to the renovations at the police department, but police officials did not get direct permission to use police officers and pay them overtime for the work, according to the briefing.

Walker said he never gave police officials explicit permission to use officers and pay them overtime to complete the work, according to portions of Nelson’s report revealed in a Fox4 news report.

Fox4 said that Halsey, the former police chief, told the investigator that the city manager “lied when he said he did not know anything about this. That was an absolute lie. A lot of people have been through crap they did not deserve because Walker lied.”

The station says it obtained a copy of the entire 57-page report.

Questions taint search for new police chief

Of course, the stench of this scandal lingers over the process of appointing a new police chief for Independence, as we saw Wednesday during a public forum of the three candidates vying for the position.

Interim Police Chief Adam Dustman and Deputy Chief Ken Jarnagin, finalists for the permanent position, participated in the forum at the Independence Uptown Market. The other candidate, Bryce Johnson, chief of the police department of Idaho Falls, Idaho, joined them.

Each was asked if the report should be made public. Dustman came the closest to supporting its release to the public. “I think the full report, to the extent it can be released, should be released,” he said.

The other two sidestepped.

Jarnagin said: “I haven’t seen the report and I don’t know what’s all in it.”

Johnson, the outsider, added: “In general, as a chief of police, what we do is the public’s business.”

Nelson’s probe did not find fault with the police officers who did the construction work, including the one who earned $160,000. But he said the project suffered as a result of communication failures and oversight. The report also said the job should have been put out for a public bid. And the fact that the police labor was not licensed or insured created a liability risk for the city.

Independence Mayor Rory Rowland is outraged by the fact that the report was leaked to the media. Rowland questioned the legality of the leak. Yes, blaming the messenger is the oldest deflection around. But that’s ridiculous. A report paid for by public tax dollars should be seen by the public.

Nelson’s law firm, Spencer Fane, was paid $100,000 to conduct the investigation. Last week, his presentation and policy recommendations were made public. Why stop there?

“At this point since somebody’s apparently already released it, I think we should just make it public,” Independence Councilman Brice Stewart told The Star. He’s right.

In 2021, when the scandal broke, Hasley, the former chief, retired after approving the costly overtime work for officers involved in the project. Later in the investigation, Jarnagan, the acting chief, was placed on leave and replaced by Dustman, who is the current interim.

Jarnagin was cleared of any wrongdoing, he told us Wednesday. On Monday, he reported back to duty after almost six months on paid administrative leave.

Independence residents deserve straightforward leadership from their city officials. Who is willing to demand a public accounting of the police overtime scandal?