A lot has been going on around the Kansas City Police Department, but it was nice to pause today to see one of our detectives get recognized for his extraordinary investigative work. The Kansas City Crime Stoppers named Detective Christopher Toigo of KCPD’s Robbery Unit as the Officer of the Year at their 62nd annual luncheon today. This award is presented annually to an officer or detective in the metro area “who has exhibited outstanding career achievement in investigations.”
Detective Toigo was unaware he was getting the award until the luncheon today. Here’s what Crime Stoppers had to say about him and why he deserved the award:
"This year’s recipient began his career with the Kansas City Missouri Police Department in October 2001. According to his supervisor, this detective has gained the respect of his peers, received no discipline during his tenure and works well with a multitude of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies during the course of various investigations. He has also received more than 38 commendations during his career.
Representing a new generation of detective, this individual excels in the use of social media as an investigative tool to develop leads and suspects. He is also a skilled interrogator.
Examples of this detective’s prowess include the recent case of a career criminal whose history dates back to the 1980’s. The suspect had been incarcerated for robbery, kidnapping and armed criminal action until he escaped from prison by using the identity of his cellmate. Since the escape, the suspect had been featured twice on America’s Most Wanted and was actively being sought by the US Marshals, FBI and multiple state and local agencies. Coincidentally, this detective was assisting on a residential robbery case which also involved the kidnapping of a 20-year-old woman. Using social media, and within the first eight hours of the investigation, this detective identified and confirmed, with the assistance of a male victim, the identity of the first suspect. From this identification, the second suspect, our aforementioned career criminal, was identified. The continuing investigation led to the recovery of multiple weapons, ammunition, stolen property and evidence.
After conducting a thorough interrogation of the suspect, the detective got a full confession for robbery, rape and kidnapping. After several days of interrogation, the suspect, Rowdy Offield, confessed to nine business robberies in the metro area, more 100 robberies in Kansas City and provided information regarding robberies in 23 different states.
A further example of this detective’s exceptional work involves the 2011 robbery and homicide at Bledsoe Rentals located at 50th and Prospect. Knowing the area and frequency of Metro bus traffic, this detective contacted ATA and was able to locate, save and copy footage from cameras on the buses that showed the suspects entering the business before the homicide and leaving afterward. This detective was also able to determine the description and location of the get-away vehicle and immediately provided that information to the Homicide Unit. The vehicle was located with the murder weapon still in the trunk and two suspects were identified, taken into custody and subsequently charged with homicide.
Lastly, from late 2010 through early 2011 the Kansas City Metro area was victimized in a series of highly organized, take- over type grocery store robberies. A total of eight stores in six different jurisdictions were involved with losses totaling more than $100,000. This detective assumed the role as lead and coordinated resources including the Career Criminal Unit of the KCPD and the Violent Crime Squad of the FBI. Also involved were members of the Odessa, Raytown, and Independence, Missouri Police Departments. In addition, the identity of one of the suspects was developed by this detective after having received a TIP from the Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline. At the conclusion of the case, a full confession was gained by this detective, and three suspects were charged federally and now face up to life in prison for the crimes. Furthermore, multiple felony cases in 6 jurisdictions were cleared and four weapons including an SKS assault rifle were recovered.
These are but a few examples from an extensive resume that continues to grow. It is our honor to present the 2011 Crime Stoppers Officer of the Year award to Det. Christopher Toigo, Robbery Unit, Kansas City Missouri Police Department.
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.
