An Independence police captain has filed a lawsuit accusing city leaders and top department officials of interfering with internal affairs investigations into alleged misconduct, including drinking and driving and a crash involving the former police chief, and retaliating against him when he pushed back.
The lawsuit, filed April 21 in Jackson County Circuit Court, alleges a pattern of age discrimination, retaliation and obstruction within the Independence Police Department. The petition claims city officials and command staff delayed or undermined Capt. Billy Pope’s investigations into senior leaders resulted in discipline being overturned and raised concerns about accountability at the highest levels of the department…