Jay-Z’s Team Roc has intensified its pursuit of justice and transparency in the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department (KCKPD).
In partnership with the Midwest Innocence Project, Team Roc has filed a request under the Kansas Open Records Act for access to documents related to the KCKPD. Their focus is on complaints, internal investigations and disciplinary actions against members of the KCKPD’s investigative division.
The initiative also includes seeking documents related to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) or FBI investigations into the department, explicitly involving former KCK Police Chief Terry Zeigler and former detective Roger Golubski.
Golubski faces serious federal charges, including abuse of power and conspiring in a sex-trafficking operation involving underage girls.
This action follows Team Roc’s rally last year in Kansas City, which called for a U.S. Justice Department investigation into the KCKPD. Other groups, including MORE2, have echoed this call, arguing that misconduct in the department is widespread.
Despite Wyandotte County designating funds to digitize nearly 70 years of criminal court case files after Team Roc’s rally, the group contends there has been a lack of transparency and updates from the local government.
Today, Team Roc & @The_MIP submitted a KORA demanding the disclosure of requested information of the KCKPD.
— Team Roc (@teamroc) November 16, 2023
For decades, there have been numerous and troubling allegations against the KCKPD. pic.twitter.com/ouBOFcRf5p
Team Roc has previously taken significant steps to bring attention to the alleged corruption within the KCKPD. They contacted U.S. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, released a public service announcement on Roc Nation’s YouTube channel featuring victims’ families, and started a Change.org petition for a Justice Department investigation.
Additionally, Team Roc and the Midwest Innocence Project had issued a second letter to Gupta.
Team Roc’s legal actions against the KCKPD started with a lawsuit filed for access to records, including those related to the training and supervision of KCKPD officers. The lawsuit highlights several incidents of alleged police misconduct and discrimination, including sex crimes involving a minor and mistreatment of an inmate.
Team Roc’s attorney, Alex Spiro, stated that the lawsuit aims to uncover the extent of the problem and any evidence of a cover-up. The initiative seeks to ensure that complaints against the KCKPD are taken seriously and that there is adequate oversight and supervision.