RFP Staff
♦ Kenneth S. Lane v. City of Salisbury, 14CVS432 apparently settled his case with the city. It appears so on the published Rowan County Civil Superior Court Docket. The terms are not public, however part of the deposition, namely that of ex-Chief Rory Collins, was delivered by late night courier to the satellite offices of Rowan Free Press. The “fourth estate” never sleeps.
You may remember the celebrated and respected Kenny Lane, after 22 years of loyal service to the Citizens of Salisbury as a police officer, was unceremoniously terminated a few years back with his career as a law enforcement officer ruined by the former police chief and the city’s Human Resources. He subsequently availed himself of the services of local Attorney David Shelby, and filed suit.
There is much to be gleaned from the deposition of ex-Chief Rory Collins. We are attaching selected pages of the deposition. Noteworthy among these, is Chief Collin’s admission that during the entire term of his service as Salisbury Chief of Police and for ten years as a law enforcement officer, that while on duty he was under the daily influence Oxycontin, a powerful narcotic often referred to as “Hillbilly Heroin.” This powerful narcotic is widely known to cause death and severe addiction and once the supply is removed, addicts often have to turn to heroin to get the same “high.”
The news is more disturbing in that he carried a city issued firearm and drove a municipal vehicle while twice a day consuming this powerful narcotic and then appears to be confused about a City policy prohibiting such act. The policy is reproduced below.
Suddenly, a lot of decisions made while he was Chief of Police, including Officer Lane’s firing, the more than 75% attrition rate of SPD Officers over five years, and his silence during city council’s almost total destruction of a once proud and effective department due to the multi-million dollar annual Fibrant subsidy, now makes sense.
Perhaps he was “asleep at the wheel?” Maybe this was exactly what City Council desired? There is much more to come from this deposition and lawsuit.
The deposition of Former Chief Rory Collins:
Salisbury Police Policy Manual:
