HAPPENS NEXT. A TECHNICAL FAILURE INSIDE ONE OF THE INTERVIEW ROOMS OF THE STILLWATER POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS CAUSED EVIDENCE TO GO MISSING. NOW, AN INSIDE AUDIT HOPES TO RECOVER THOSE POTENTIALLY KEY INTERVIEWS BEFORE THEY JEOPARDIZE ONGOING CASES. THE AUDIT WILL BE A COMBINATION OF THE STILLWATER POLICE DEPARTMENT AND OUR TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT WILL HELP AS WELL. THE FIRST STEP IS DETERMINING EXACT WHAT IS MISSING TODAY. PAYNE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LAURA THOMAS TOLD KOCO HER OFFICE WILL NEED TO LOOK INTO WHICH CASES ARE IMPACTED BY THE MALFUNCTION THAT THE CITY SAYS HAPPENED LAST OCTOBER. SHE DOESN’T BELIEVE THIS TECHNICAL FAILURE WAS ANYTHING NEFARIOUS. IF A DEFENDANT ADMITTED SOMETHING IN A MISSING TAPE, THE DA SAYS IT DOESN’T BECOME AN ADMISSIBILITY ISSUE. BUT A CREDIBILITY ISSUE. THE JURY WILL HAVE TO WEIGH THE OFFICER’S CREDIBILITY AND TAKE THEIR WORD FOR WHAT WAS SAID IN THOSE LOST INTERVIEWS. NOW WE’RE DOING OUR LEVEL BEST TO IDENTIFY WHAT IS MISSING. THE CITY SAYS THERE’S AN ONGOING AUDIT FOCUSED ON WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE AND THE SCOPE OF ITS IMPACT. THEY BELIEVE THEY RECORDED INTERVIEWS CAN BE RETRIEVED. KOCO HAS SENT IN PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS FOR THE PAYNE COUNTY D-A, THE STILLWATER POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND THE CITY OF STILLWATER, ASKING FOR ALL DOCUMENTS, EMAILS AND MATERIALS RELATED TO THE MISSING INTERVIEWS TO FIND OUT WHICH CASES MAY
Stillwater audit underway to find months of missing police interviews
The first step is determining exactly what is missing.
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Updated: 6:20 PM CDT May 18, 2023
A technical failure inside a Stillwater Police Department interview room caused evidence to go missing. Now, officials hope an inside audit will recover those key interviews for ongoing cases. | MORE | Technology failure causes months of Stillwater police interviews to go missing“The audit will be a combination of the Stillwater Police Department and our technology department will help, as well," said Dawn Jones, the director of communications for the city of Stillwater. The first step is determining exactly what is missing. Payne County District Attorney Laura Thomas told KOCO that her office will need to look into which cases are impacted by the malfunction, which the city said happened in October. Thomas said she doesn't believe the technology failure was anything nefarious and she enjoys working with the police department. If a defendant admitted something in a missing tape, Thomas said it doesn't become an admissibility issue, but a credibility issue. The jury will have to weigh in on the officer's credibility and take their word for what was said in the lost interviews. “Now, we’re doing our dead-level best to determine what’s missing," Jones said. The city said there is an ongoing audit focused on what caused the failure and the scope of its impact. They believe the recorded interviews can be retrieved. KOCO sent a public information request to the Payne County district attorney, the Stillwater Police Department and the city of Stillwater asking for all documents and materials related to the missing interviews to find out which cases may have been impacted and when the failure was discovered. Top Headlines Person dies after being struck by vehicle in southwest Oklahoma City, police say Injury crash causes major traffic backup on I-40 in Midwest City 13-year-old Oklahoma boy makes history as he crosses stage as college graduate Body found at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday Gov. Stitt vetoes bill classifying shooting into homes as violent felony Oklahoma man's reaction goes viral after wife unexpectedly gives birth to baby girl following crash
STILLWATER, Okla. — A technical failure inside a Stillwater Police Department interview room caused evidence to go missing. Now, officials hope an inside audit will recover those key interviews for ongoing cases.
| MORE | Technology failure causes months of Stillwater police interviews to go missing
“The audit will be a combination of the Stillwater Police Department and our technology department will help, as well," said Dawn Jones, the director of communications for the city of Stillwater.
The first step is determining exactly what is missing.
Payne County District Attorney Laura Thomas told KOCO that her office will need to look into which cases are impacted by the malfunction, which the city said happened in October.
Thomas said she doesn't believe the technology failure was anything nefarious and she enjoys working with the police department.
If a defendant admitted something in a missing tape, Thomas said it doesn't become an admissibility issue, but a credibility issue. The jury will have to weigh in on the officer's credibility and take their word for what was said in the lost interviews.
“Now, we’re doing our dead-level best to determine what’s missing," Jones said.
The city said there is an ongoing audit focused on what caused the failure and the scope of its impact. They believe the recorded interviews can be retrieved.
KOCO sent a public information request to the Payne County district attorney, the Stillwater Police Department and the city of Stillwater asking for all documents and materials related to the missing interviews to find out which cases may have been impacted and when the failure was discovered.
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