KCTV’s talented investigative reporter Eric Chaloux delivered a strong story for the CBS affiliate to close out the July Sweeps period, which ended Wednesday night.
An undercover investigation by Chaloux exposed a scheme in which a Northland home inspector did more than examine vacant houses and take inventory; he advertised the contents on Craigslist as his own personal belongings.
Watching the home inspector try to deny he was caught red-handed was fascinating.
Chaloux joined the station in 2002 as a general assignment reporter. He has a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from the Taft Law School.
KCTV also announced that it had settled its dispute with Time Warner and would not be knocked off the air as has happened this month at rival KMBC. However, that announcement was misleading, according to Broadcasting and Cable. In reality, KCTV was granted an extension to July 31 to work out a deal.
After I saw this report last night, I called the Independence Police Department. (816-315-7300) The woman who answered the phone said she knew nothing of the TV5 report. (The brass didn’t even warn her that she might be getting a call. Ha!)
I briefly explained what the piece showed. Then, I told her the department needed to quit harassing innocent people and start arresting burglars.
She said, “I’ll pass it on.”
I found my conversation almost surreal, given TV5′s history showing the malfeasance of the Independence Police Department. A few years back, TV5 aired a segment showing a reporter getting his head slammed into a counter at the police station after he had inquired about filing a complaint about an officer. The Chief of Police, Fred Mills, denied wrongdoing and no officers were disciplined.
Be careful if you go to Independence.