CopBlaster.com received a threatening letter from someone claiming to be Russell J. Grover Jr. in Wichita, Kansas. The letter arrived at our post office box this past week. It was post marked 4-20-20, stated that former Meade Police officer Russell Grover has been receiving threats over his listing in the National Decertification Index section of this website (https://copblaster.com/decertified/), and threatened legal action if his name is not removed. CopBlaster.com had previously received an email requesting removal of the same profile on 2-8-20 stating that the profile was inaccurate but without elaborating as to how.
The body of the threatening letter from someone claiming to be one Russell J. Grover Jr. of Wichita, Kansas mailed on 4/20 read as follows:
"I am asking that Copblaster.Com remove my name from your website ASAP. I am receiving threats; I have had my reputation ruined by this damm site and my two kids have been harassed over my name being on Google with this site. If anything happens to myself or my two kids, there will be a heavy price of one hell of a lawsuit filed against this company. I never lived in Meade, Kansas. I have filed police reports on being stalked, harassed and threatened. I was told to write this company and request my name be removed ASAP. So now this is a letter that will be filed on behalf of myself. If my name is not removed, then I will retain legal advice in case something happens to myself or family. This is not a joke when I have been through hell over this. I live in Wichita, Kansas, not Meade, Kansas. This is sad that a person must be harassed and my kids because of this kind of publicity. If legal action is needed, then please write me back and I will then seek it. I can only pray to God that nothing happens to my kids over this because people out there hate Police and others. There are reports made with Police and now I am writing this company to ask that my name be removed for my safety, my reputation, and welfare." - Russell J. Grover Jr.
The email exchange with someone claiming to be Mr. Grover was as follows:
-----Original Message-----
From: Cop Blaster webmaster[at]copblaster.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2020 3:22 PM
To: 'mcfly011' mcfly011[at]protonmail.com
Subject: RE: advise
Not accurate in what way?
Cyrus Sullivan
Owner
CopBlaster.com
P.O. Box 86653
Portland, OR 97286
webmaster[at]copblaster.com
-----Original Message-----
From: mcfly011 mcfly011[at]protonmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2020 6:55 AM
To: webmaster[at]copblaster.com
Subject: RE: advise
This is not accurate information, that's the problem I'm okay with other sites as they don't appear in the search results but your site appears
Please remove it
Sent with ProtonMail Secure Email.
Original Message
On Saturday, February 8, 2020 12:27 AM, Cop Blaster webmaster[at]copblaster.com wrote:
Hi,
All the posts in the /cop/ directory are from the decertification data
released by USA Today last year. Even if I were to remove that page
the information would still be available online in places like:
https://copblaster.com/uploads/files/decertified/Kansas-Decertifications.pdf
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/media/publications/Kansas-Decertifications.pdf
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5977561-Kansas-Decertifications .html
https://www.usatoday.com/documents/5977561-Kansas-Decertifications/
Is there a reason why you want that page specifically removed and why?
Cyrus Sullivan
Owner
CopBlaster.com
P.O. Box 86653
Portland, OR 97286
webmaster[at]copblaster.com
-----Original Message-----
From: noreply[at]copblaster.com noreply[at]copblaster.com
Sent: Friday, February 7, 2020 7:19 AM
To: webmaster[at]copblaster.com
Subject: advise
https://copblaster.com/cop/10821/russell-grover
i need this to be removed
what are the options?
mcfly011[at]protonmail.com
-----End of Messages-----
It appears obvious from both the letter and the email that this individual is primarily angry because when people Google the name Russell Grover they learn that one Russell Grover had been an officer with the Meade Police Department and at some point lost his certification. The Decertification Index was originally compiled by USA Today in 2019. The list of Kansas Decertifications can be found at https://copblaster.com/uploads/files/decertified/Kansas-Decertifications.pdf. USA Today made that data available to the general public and gave permission for the public to use that data. CopBlaster.com is the first website to present that data in a search engine friendly format. That is why this individual does not have a problem with USA Today, but does have a problem with this website.
This individual has never provided an explanation for his claim that the record is not accurate beyond saying via email "This is not accurate information" and via regular mail "I never lived in Meade, Kansas." The problem with this is that the report never accuses anyone of living in Meade, Kansas. It says that someone worked for the Meade Police Department and was subject to an "Order of Revocation." Officer Grover never had to live in Meade, Kansas to work for the Meade Police Department or be subject to an Order of Revocation from that agency. It is entirely possible for someone to live in Wichita and work in Meade. It is a bit of a commute, but one that is doable. It is also entirely possible and common for police officers not to live in the same city in which they work. They usually live in neighboring townships. This author has never been to Kansas, but according to various maps it appears that someone could live in Wichita and work in Meade. It is a bit of a drive, but an entirely possible living arrangement. It is also possible that Mr. Grover moved to Wichita from the Meade area after losing his certification in 2016. If he was as ashamed of that then as he is now it would explain the move perfectly. Then of course it is entirely possible that the Russell Grover that lost his certification in Meade is not the same Russell Grover contacting us now. That is not likely since this author's only explanation of inaccuracies beyond a generalized statement that the information is not accurate, is that he has never lived in Meade.
The most likely explanation for this is that former officer Russell Grover moved to Wichita looking for a fresh start only to find out three to four years later that his past has caught up with him. His claims of receiving threats are most likely a smoke screen being put up to distract CopBlaster.com from the fact that Mr. Grover can't disprove his status as a decertified officer. Threatening frivolous lawsuits is another desperate attempt to get us to remove something we have every right not to remove. This tactic may work on lesser websites that balk at the mere threat of legal action and decide to remove whatever they are being threatened over. This website is not one of those.
This website has proven itself capable of operating in the face of some of the most serious legal threats imaginable. At one point the owner of CopBlaster.com was ordered by a federal judge not to operate the site as a pre-trial detention condition. That order did nothing to stop the site from operating, that judge recused himself like a little ***** after receiving a letter at his house asking him to do just that, and the owner was freed once it became obvious that the alleged victims (all of which were law enforcement officers) were lying. CopBlaster.com is battle tested and here to stay.