Gabe Rottman for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, August 11, 2024, writes that there are two takeaways from the investigative report on the police raid on the Marion County Record. First that police thought erroneously that it was unlawful for the Record reporter to seek information from a state website about a local restaurant owner’s DUI. The police mistakenly executed warrants on the Record, but the report’s authors found “it is not a crime under Kansas law for a law enforcement officer to conduct a poor investigation and reach erroneous conclusions.” The biggest takeaway was the misuse of the subpoena. From the report: “Before a search warrant is sought for a press room, a law office, church or the office of a mental health professional, inquisition subpoenas or other available forms of investigation should be utilized. Search warrants for law offices, press rooms and churches should be sought only in extraordinary circumstances and with extreme caution.” Rottman said “irremediable” damage was done to the operation of the Marion County Record.
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