KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Rev. Rick Behrens was a police chaplain for the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department from the late 90s to the early 2000s.
He said his interaction with former detective Roger Golubski made him quit.
Behrens responded to the recent news that the FBI is investigating Golubski for allegations of misconduct.
"I think you have to be surprised and appalled and shocked by all the things that we've heard in the last few years that have been reported on," Behrens said.
Behrens has been the pastor at Grandview Park Presbyterian Church for almost 40 years.
"I don't trust the system in Wyandotte County. I'm hopeful the federal government will step in and do the right thing," Behrens said.
Around 2004, Behrens said he remembers going to a death notification call for a young man who had died in police custody, though he can't remember who the man was now.
Behrens said he thought it was strange that a detective was at the call too, who he later found out was Golubski.
"The mom was totally submissive, sitting on a couch, head down and said, 'You killed him,'" Behrens said. "I didn't know it was Golubski, but I learned it later, came across the room and said, 'What did you say?' to this grieving mom. Stood over her."
Behrens said the mother repeated what she said, that the system killed her son.
"And he said, 'Lady, you are the system.' And then he snapped for everyone to leave," Behrens said.
Behrens said he told Golubski he wasn't going to leave. He chalked it up to a guy having a bad day, but said he later found out about allegations that Golubski terrorized and sexually exploited Black residents, mostly women, in KCK.
Behrens called the department complain about the incident at the death call but said nothing came out of it.
"They didn't get back with me. Finally, I called back and talked to the same person and they said, 'Yeah, that's Golubski, there's nothing we can do about him,'" Behrens said.
Behrens has worked closely with MORE2 and other organizations to shine a light on the allegations.
"The first step people need to recognize is that Roger Golubski was allowed to do what he did for so long because there was complacency within the police department and there was a lack of accountability," said Nikki Richardson, an organizer for Justice for Wyandotte.
Justice for Wyandotte is one of the groups which has talked with people who say they were victimized.
"Even though it was 20 years ago, 10 years ago, that pain is still very real today and those people still need justice," Richardson said.
KCKPD is not commenting, other than to say they have responded to FBI inquiries about Golubski over the last couple years.
