Learn More at KCKCorruption.info

The Kansas City Kansas Police Department (KCKPD), known for its corruption and misconduct, has a troubling past of abusing power for decades. Members of the department have coerced witness statements, planted evidence, and perpetrated sexual abuse while hiding behind a veil of silence and impunity. Among the most notorious cases is that of Detective Roger Golubski, who framed then 17-year-old Lamonte McIntyre in 1994 because Lamonte’s mother, Rosie, had previously refused the detective's sexual demands. Lamonte served 23 years before being exonerated in 2017, leading to a $12.5 million settlement with the Unified Government in 2022 in relation to the misconduct of Golubski and other KCKPD officers.

Despite public outcry and damning evidence, accountability within the KCKPD remains elusive. Even egregious accusations have been brushed aside, reflecting a systemic failure to address deep-seated issues. In 2021, Team Roc received eight FBI reports from investigations conducted in the 1990s unearthing a history of officer misconduct and heinous crimes committed by KCKPD officers and detectives. Requests for transparency through the Kansas Open Records Act were met with resistance from both the KCKPD and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, further eroding trust in the system meant to serve and protect.

The DOJ’s September 16, 2022, indictment of Roger Golubski on federal charges of sexual assault and sex trafficking shed light on the magnitude of abuse within the department. Despite pleading not guilty, the indictment detailed horrifying accounts of violence and exploitation perpetrated under the guise of law enforcement. The indictment recounts how Golubski and others committed heinous acts such as “...punish[ing] [women] by being beaten and that one woman was strung upside-down by her feet in a closet as punishment,” and how one woman was “struck...with an iron; dragged...down a staircase by her hair; and repeatedly struck.”

Community outrage culminated in the #Justice4KCK Rally on November 17, 2022, demanding accountability for the victims and systemic change within the KCKPD. However, promises from local officials, such as investing in digitizing police records, have yet to materialize into concrete actions. Chief Karl Oakman's pledge to re-examine cases involving Golubski was met with skepticism, with concerns over the department's ability to conduct unbiased investigations remaining unresolved. Chief Oakman’s response? “[W]ho better to clean their own house than those who are involved in it?”

Nine months later, on September 15, 2023, District Attorney Dupree’s office claimed it had scanned 1,397 boxes of records (about 10,700 files) and that the office would begin reviewing files at that time. In June 2023, however, Mark Kind, the lawyer hired to run the District Attorney’s Conviction Review Office, left the office. To date, the office has provided no information regarding the alleged case file view, including how many files have been reviewed or if it has even begun.

Although Roger Golubski is the face of deep-seated corruption and abuse in the KCKPD, he is not the only problem. 

A summary of subsequent actions follows below:

November 3, 2023: Michelle Houcks, Saundra Newsom, Niko Quinn, Ophelia Williams, and Richelle Miller file a civil lawsuit against Roger Golubski, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, 3 former KCKPD police chiefs, and 4 other KCKPD officers who served as detectives. Michelle Houcks, et al., Plaintiffs V. Unified Government Of Wyandotte County And Kansas City, Kansas, et al., Defendants (Case No. 23-cv-02489-TC)

November 16, 2023: Team Roc and the Midwest Innocence Project submit a Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) request for public records related to numerous allegations of corruption and misconduct.  Requests are met with consistent delays, insufficient responses, and denials.

May 30, 2024: A federal judge hears arguments regarding Golubski's Motion to Dismiss the Indictment in the case of United States v. Roger Golubski. Team Roc and the Midwest Innocence Project organized a press conference in front of the courthouse, where community members, victims, and their families gathered to urge the judge to deny the motion. The judge ultimately denied the motion and scheduled December 2, 2024, as the official start of the trial, almost two years after Golubski's initial indictment.

November 19, 2024: Team Roc and the Midwest Innocence Project file a new lawsuit against the KCKPD and Unified Government for failure to disclose records relating to police corruption in violation of the November 16, 2023, KORA request. (Case No. WY-2024-CV-000836)

December 2, 2024: Golubski’s trial was set to begin at the U.S Courthouse in Topeka, Kansas. Golubski does not show for the trial, a warrant for his arrest is issued, and local police find Golubski deceased from an apparent suicide.

Following these developments, Judge Crouse dismisses the federal case against Golubski at the prosecutor's request. 

A second federal criminal case in which Golubski and three other men were indicted remains ongoing. This case involves allegations of sex trafficking, conspiracy, and operating a drug ring, centered on a scheme to hold young women in involuntary servitude and coerce them into providing sexual services.

January 16, 2025: Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCKPD submit motion to dismiss and deny Roc Nation and Midwest Innocence Project’s November 19, 2024, lawsuit. (Case No. 2024-CV-000836)

January 30, 2025: Judge dismisses November 3, 2023 Michelle Houcks, et al., Plaintiffs V. Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, et al., Defendants' civil case, acknowledging the merits of the claims, but citing statute of limitations. (Case No. 23-cv-02489-TC)

March 7, 2025: Roc Nation and Midwest Innocence Project submit their Opposition to the Motion to Dismiss filed on January 16, 2025, by Defendants the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, and the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department. (Case No: WY-2024-CV-000836)

April 2, 2025: Team Roc and the Midwest Innocence Project submit a new KORA request to five Kansas City government departments: Office of the District Attorney for Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas; Kansas City, Kansas Police Department, Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office, Legal Department of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas and the Coroner’s Office, continuing the call for transparency.

July 30, 2025: Plaintiffs-Appellants of Michelle Houcks, et al., vs. Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, et al.,  file an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit regarding the reversal and remanding of the case’s dismissal.

August 6, 2025: Team Roc & Midwest Innocence Project, along with 10 organizations and advocates, submit Amicus Brief in support of the Plaintiffs-Appellants of Michelle Houcks, et al., vs. Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, et al. appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. 

August 21, 2025: The second court hearing on Roc Nation and Midwest Innocence Project’s opposition to the motion to dismiss.

Legal filings mentioned above can be found at KCKPDCorruption.info