-Caveat Lector-
Platte County sheriff hires lobbyists for drug money
forfeiture bill
By KAREN DILLON - The Kansas City Star
Date: 05/06/01 22:15
Platte County Sheriff Dick Anderson wants to be able to
continue seizing suspected drug money at the Kansas City airport,
unfettered by a proposed state law.
Anderson has given a team of lawyers the equivalent of a
blank check to lobby lawmakers for an amendment that would exempt
state and local police from following state forfeiture laws when working
at Kansas City International Airport and Lambert-St. Louis International
Airport.
But some legislators fear the amendment could do much
more: It could end up undermining the entire effort to reform forfeiture in
Missouri, they say.
So far this session, the amendment has been attached to one
of two similar bills that would close a loophole in state forfeiture law.
The bills, sponsored by Sen. Harry Wiggins and House Speaker Jim
Kreider, would require police to follow state law whenever they seize
suspected drug money.
Anderson's amendment would allow officers at the two
airports to follow federal forfeiture laws, which give law enforcement
agencies a share of the money they seize. Money forfeited under state
law must go to public education -- law enforcement doesn't get to keep
any because of concerns about a conflict of interest.
Anderson said in an interview last week that his main
problem with Wiggins' and Kreider's bills was that they would hamper
detectives investigating drugs as part of federal task forces at the airport.
"We need to have one set of rules to follow," he said.
Law enforcement officers can confiscate cash and property at
airports or anywhere else if they suspect it is involved in drug crimes.
Platte County sheriff's detectives generate more than
$100,000 a year for the department by seizing cash at the airport,
turning it over to the federal government and receiving up to 80 percent
back.
Even though Anderson said the money was not the central
issue surrounding his amendment, he said he would not voluntarily give it
to the education fund. Only if "the Missouri legislature said I had to do
it," Anderson said.
Wiggins, a Kansas City Democrat; Kreider, a Nixa
Democrat; and others said they oppose Anderson's amendment
because it would create another loophole -- one that eventually could
grow until it takes in law enforcement agencies across the state. They
would only need to declare themselves part of a federal task force to be
exempted from state law, they said.
"It is just opening a crack," Sen. Larry Rohrbach, a
California Republican, said of the amendment. "But, you know, stuff runs
out of cracks."
In addition, several legislators said they found
Anderson's lobbying to be highly unusual. Rohrbach likened the team to
"a full court press." Kreider added that smaller government entities such
as sheriff's offices seldom mounted their own lobbying efforts with such
high-profile players.
Anderson, who himself is a registered lobbyist, is using
Terry Brady as lead attorney at $195 an hour. Brady, of the Lathrop &
Gage law firm in Kansas City, also is the Bistate Commission attorney.
He previously has done legal work for the sheriff.
Anderson said three other Lathrop & Gage lawyers were
part of the team: Bert Bates at $175 an hour; R. Kent Sellers, $180; and
Jeff LeRiche, $130. Bates is a former president of the Missouri Bar and
the University of Missouri Board of Curators. Brady and Bates are
registered lobbyists.
Platte County already retains two other law firms for
general legal work at rates of $120 and $125 an hour. But Anderson
said he chose Lathrop & Gage lawyers instead for their lobbying
expertise.
(The Kansas City Star also is a client of Lathrop &
Gage.)
So far, how much county money has been spent since
January remains a mystery, even to Anderson and Brady.
Neither could say how many hours of work the lawyers
already had performed or how large a bill Platte County had run up.
Anderson said he had not set a limit on the cost or made an estimate.
In addition, Anderson has hired lobbyist Dick Doherty,
whose clients include American Century, the Royals, the Chiefs, and
Lathrop & Gage.
Neither Anderson nor Brady, who urged Doherty's hiring,
could say how much Doherty charged or even whether he charged by
the hour.
Brady said, though, that Doherty assured him he would give the sheriff a
good deal because he would be lobbying for a government agency.
Doherty did not return calls for comment.
A Missouri auditor's spokesman criticized the sheriff for
not knowing how much money he was spending on lobbying.
"This is troubling," Glenn Campbell said. "These are
public monies. It is the kind of thing that if it was occurring in any of the
counties we audit, we would have a serious problem...and ask that the
practice be discontinued."
Platte County Auditor Sandra Thomas, responsible for
auditing the sheriff's office, would not comment because of the political
nature of the situation.
Campbell described her silence as "unfortunate."
Betty Knight, Platte County's presiding commissioner, did
not return telephone calls last week. However, in the past Knight has
refused to comment about Anderson's lobbying because she feared the
county would be sued about how the sheriff's office had been handling
seized drug money.
Commissioner Michael Short said he didn't want to talk
about the sheriff's spending habits. Normally, he said, the County
Commission holds public discussions before spending public money,
but this issue has never come up.
Commissioners also have decided in the past against
hiring lobbyists, he said.
Commissioner Steve Wegner, who was elected to the
commission in November, said he was unaware of the issue and asked
for time to look into the matter.
To reach Karen Dillon, call (816) 234-4430 or send e-mail to
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