ACLU Nebraska Retracts and Corrects Remarks Made by Legal Director Amy Miller Regarding Omaha Police Evidence Planting Investigation
For immediate release: 2-28-11
On January 17, 2011, Amy Miller, Legal Director of ACLU Nebraska made the following statement in a press release:
“It has been nine months since the news broke of four separate law enforcement officers engaging in the planting of evidence. Residents in Omaha and Douglas County have a right to know what steps have been taken to investigate how far the wrongdoing reaches. More importantly, how does any Omaha resident know whether other files handled by the four evidence planters are clean or not?”
She made this statement based on news reports that had described an Omaha Police Department investigation of three officers, including Officer Kult, regarding allegations of evidence planting, plus the recent conviction of David Kofoed for evidence planting. She did not name any officers in the press release.
At the time this statement was made, she did not have any information or evidence specifying that Stephen Kult had ever engaged in evidence planting, or was “an evidence planter.” She and the ACLU Nebraska apologize for any implication or any inference anyone may have made to the contrary, and retract any such suggestion that may have been created.
ACLU Nebraska has now learned that in fact Stephen Kult was the officer that reported concerns about possible evidence planting to the Omaha Police Department, and that the Omaha Police Department has returned him to full duty as an Omaha Police Officer, although no official report or press release to that effect has been made available.
We understand that Officer Steven Kult’s personal integrity is fundamentally important to him and his work as a Police Officer. We are sincerely sorry for any possible implication that he was among the persons accused of evidence planting. This retraction will correct any such implication and set the record straight for any persons who read our earlier press release.
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