A major hack of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department has exposed a secret list of officers with alleged misconduct, including dishonesty, sexual harassment, excessive force, and false arrests. The breach, reviewed by WIRED and KCUR, reveals the department’s Giglio List—a confidential roster of officers whose credibility is so compromised that their involvement in criminal cases could jeopardize prosecutions. The hack, published by the transparency nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets, includes over 1 terabyte of documents that show officers with severe credibility issues were not only allowed to stay on the force but often rose through the ranks or moved to other departments. This story is part of a joint investigation between KCUR and WIRED, led by Dhruv Mehrotra and Peggy Lowe.
Key facts
- A major hack of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department revealed a secret list of officers with alleged misconduct, including dishonesty, sexual harassment, excessive force, and false arrests.
- The breach, published by the transparency nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets, includes over 1 terabyte of documents showing officers with severe credibility issues were allowed to stay on the force and often rose through the ranks.
- The Giglio List, a confidential roster of officers whose credibility is compromised, was disclosed for the first time, revealing how officers with credibility issues were not only retained but sometimes promoted.
- The hack was part of a growing trend of law enforcement agencies being targeted by ransomware groups, with the KCKPD breach being even more extensive than the DC police leak.
- The department’s internal investigations often shield misconduct from public view, with departments citing privacy laws to deny access to internal records.
