KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A University of Missouri-Kansas City student says she was sexually harassed and intimidated by a Kansas City, Mo., police officer. The UMKC journalism student claims Herschel Rogers asked her inappropriate questions during a ride-along with Rogers two years ago.
On Thursday, Rogers went before Kansas City Police Board of Commissioners to try to keep his job. He’s been on unpaid leave and he and his attorney deny the accusations.
“‘He said that the victim is lying. And that`s our assessment as well. I believe that by exaggerating her claim she is lying, yes,” said Sean McCauley, Rogers’ attorney.
The young college student told the police board about several conversations she says she and Rogers had during the ride-along. The woman says Rogers asked her if she cheated on her boyfriend. She says he also asked her about her private grooming while he was talking to her about his girlfriend.
“That she did everything that he could ask for. She cooked, she cleaned, she mowed the lawn and he asked me if I mowed the lawn and I responded, no I have an apartment, and he said, ‘No, I mean down there,'” the student described the alleged conversation.
Officer Rogers admits to all the conversations, up until the point where it would jeopardize his job.
“He feels bad today about asking about that but at the time he really didn’t see that he was trying to get into any personal information. It was just simply small talk between two people in a patrol car for six hours,” said McCauley.
Some sources claim Rogers has made inconsistent statements to investigators and failed a polygraph test. Under police policy, lying is grounds for termination.
“Quite frankly, polygraph evidence is highly suspect by the courts. It’s highly suspect in the scientific community and that’s why we don’t think that it should be the basis for termination,” McCauley said.
Chief Darryl Forte told commissioners there were other reasons to terminate the officer.
“And then we have somebody who takes no responsibility and had responsibility been taken, I made a mistake, we could do something with that, then when you try to damage her character in your response, I got a problem with that, I got a problem with that,” said Chief Forte.
It will take the police board about five weeks to make a determination whether Officer Rogers will keep his job or be fired.
