Questions remain in police hit-and-run case
Two weeks after the Wichita Police Department changed a report to show that an off-duty officer was not the driver suspected in a hit-and-run collision, the department identified the officer as the driver to prosecutors.
The District Attorney’s Office last year declined to file charges against the off-duty officer, Tiffany Dahlquist.
The office decided not to prosecute Dahlquist because it lacked evidence that the damage to the other car was intentional, District Attorney Marc Bennett said Friday.
Misdemeanor violations involving leaving the scene of an accident are normally prosecuted in Municipal Court rather than by the District Attorney’s Office. Wichita Municipal Court does not show any record of charges or tickets connected to the hit-and-run case.
Dahlquist’s attorney says that the District Attorney’s Office didn’t prosecute because it couldn’t prove who was driving the car.
He said he also doesn’t think there was a cover-up by the Police Department.
During a Friday morning news briefing, the Police Department announced that the case had been presented to prosecutors and no charges had been filed. The statement was in response to a story posted on Kansas.com, the Wichita Eagle’s website, Thursday evening about the collision. It was classified as a hit-and-run. The department covered it up, a detective testified. The FBI is investigating.
“The allegations, in the article, are based on a flawed premise and are inaccurate,” the statement said. “The issues raised are not consistent with Chief (Gordon) Ramsay’s vision and are contrary to the reforms and changes he has initiated since arriving last year. ... These changes are increasing transparency and accountability in our department. We will continue to work tirelessly to improve the trust of our community.”
The department would not answer any questions Friday, citing an active investigation.
The department would not say what investigation it was referring to.
It’s not clear why the department first listed Dahlquist as the driver, then changed a report four days later to say the driver was unknown, then identified her as the driver when taking the case to the District Attorney’s Office two weeks later.
The collision occurred on Sept. 11, 2016, near 13th and Maize. According to accident reports and records obtained from Sedgwick County Emergency Communications, Dahlquist was suspected of sideswiping a car driven by a 17-year-old Wichita girl, who called 911 to report it and phoned in the license tag and a description of the vehicle she said hit her.
Dahlquist’s attorney, Jonathan McConnell, says his client wasn’t involved in any collision that evening.
“It’s possible that the teenage driver was mistaken over the identity of the driver,” McConnell said Friday.
The girl phoned in the license tag, a description of the car down to the skull decal on the rear window, and a description of the driver. She followed the car for almost 2 1/2 miles.
Police traced the tag number to Dahlquist.
McConnell’s understanding is that the District Attorney’s decision not to charge came down to whether Dahlquist was the driver, and that there wasn’t sufficient evidence that she was.
“Thus it was unknown,” McConnell said.
“I don’t believe there was a cover-up by the Wichita Police Department or the District Attorney’s Office to try to hide or protect Tiffany,” McConnell said.
“But do I think she was treated unfairly during the process by the Wichita Police Department? Yes.”
He wouldn’t elaborate.
Dahlquist remains with the department, he said.
Bennett, the district attorney, said his office reviews dozens of cases a day.
“Defense counsel was not consulted before, during or after our assessment of the case,” he wrote in an email. “His assumption that this office arrived at some final conclusion as to the presence of his client at the scene of the alleged accident, is simply speculation. As was previously stated, we reviewed the facts and the law. We could not prove that a non-accidental property crime occurred.”
Tim Potter: 316-268-6684, @timpotter59
Wichita Police Department statement
The traffic case involving a Wichita Police Officer, referenced in a media report, was presented last year to the Office of the District Attorney, which declined prosecution. The allegations, in the article, are based on a flawed premise and are inaccurate.
The issues raised are not consistent with Chief Ramsay’s vision and are contrary to the reforms and changes he has initiated since arriving last year.
For example, the Wichita Police Department now has an agreement with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office to investigate alleged criminal misconduct of police officers to avoid conflicts of interest and provide transparency to the process.
Also, in conjunction with our partnering organizations, the City Council, just this week, approved the new citizen review board which, will allow civilian oversight into cases of alleged police misconduct.
These changes are increasing transparency and accountability in our department. We will continue to work tirelessly to improve the trust of our community.
This story was originally published October 13, 2017 at 6:38 PM with the headline "Questions remain in police hit-and-run case."