Ark Valley News - Police department in turmoil

Police department in turmoil
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: August 25, 2016

Saying it had nothing to do with the criminal court case he's facing, Jay Grayson resigned this week as detective with the Valley Center Police Department.

His resignation was effective on Aug. 22, less than a month before he is scheduled to go on trial in Wichita for a single misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass.

"It has nothing to do with my court case," Grayson told The News. "I am not concerned about my court case."

Grayson had been on paid suspension since his arrest on June 25.

Meanwhile, Valley Center police Chief Mark Hephner was placed on paid administrative leave this week as the Valley Center city administrator conducts an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the handling of Grayson's suspension.

Grayson's trial is set for Sept. 9.

Wichita police accused Grayson, 44, of not leaving a residence when he was told to leave. The incident happened while Grayson was off-duty.

Grayson said he had been unhappy in the department for the last several months and had been seeking another job in law enforcement. Now, after spending time away from the department, he said he is not sure where he will work or whether he will continue to be employed in law enforcement.

"The last couple of weeks, after some soul searching, it made me wonder, is this something I really love doing?" Grayson said. "I gave my all to the city. I pride myself in solving cases and making a difference. When I felt like I wasn't making a difference anymore, I decided it was time to do something else."

Grayson was hired in July 2007 as a patrol officer. He was formerly an officer with the Wichita State University Police Department.

He advanced to detective and was instrumental in resolving several high-profile cases in Valley Center over the past nine years. In May 2015, he was named American Legion Kansas Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.

Grayson said he enjoyed his time with the department and liked being a part of the community.

"It hurts. It's a family," he said. "Valley Center has become a family."

Grayson said he isn't sure what he'll do next.

"I don't want to jump into something right now," he said. "I want to wait a couple of weeks at least. … It's like my mom told me, it won't do you any good if you just hop into another job and do the same thing. Why leave? I want to sit back and evaluate."

Grayson said he envisioned leaving the department under different circumstances.

"I wanted to leave as a chief some day," he said. "… I don't regret turning jobs down, because I love the place. I learned a lot in Valley. We helped each other out. They helped me and I gave back."

Hephner was unavailable for comment. Sgt. Lloyd Newman referred questions to the city's human resources department at City Hall, which merely confirmed Grayson's resignation and employment dates.

Mayor Laurie Dove said Grayson's position will be filled.

"We appreciate his service to Valley Center and look forward to ramping up our police force again," Dove said. "He'll leave a hole that we'll work to fill."

City Administrator Scott Hildebrand's internal investigation started this week.

That investigation included placing Hephner on temporary administrative leave so Hildebrand could speak to officers in the department without Hephner on duty, Dove said.

"He felt it would be beneficial to speak with other officers while the chief was on leave," she said. "… It stems back to taking a deep look into everything that happened in Grayson's incident to be sure we're all doing everything right."

When asked whether the decision to place Hephner on leave had anything to do with misconduct, Dove answered: "Not that I'm aware of."

Dove said Hephner is on leave through Sept. 6, giving Hildebrand time to bring information back to the city council during its Sept. 6 meeting.

Hildebrand, who is trained as an attorney, worked for the City of Rochester, Minn., as a professional standards manager before being hired by Valley Center in June.

His duties with Rochester included investigating complaints of police misconduct and assisting staff with personnel issues and investigations.

"There were things we were made aware of with the handling of the Grayson matter that caused questions to arise," Hildebrand said. "The specific facts of the criminal case had nothing to do with his resignation or this investigation."

Hildebrand said the investigation extends beyond Grayson, but he was unable to be anymore specific, saying "part of the investigation has to do with Jay Grayson."

"When you place someone on suspension, there is certain protocol you have to follow and certain information you have to attain," he said.