Officer “K”

[Charles Collins]

 In chapter 6 of his rebuttal to the acoustical study, Bowles includes the recollections of some of the officers involved. Here’s Bowles’ introduction of the chapter, followed by the comments of  officer “K”.


https://www.jfk-online.com/bowles6.html

REFLECTIONS

Probably the most informed and the most ignored authorities on what happened and in what order in Dealey Plaza are the motorcade motor jockeys. They have been interviewed uncounted times by many people, ranging from official investigators to insufferable quacks. Again, they are referred to in this text by a "letter" name, hopeful that it will discourage further contacts, however well-intentioned. While their recollections are presented in the first person, their comments should not be taken as unalterable quotes. Too many years have passed for them to remember with unimpeachable certainty what they might have said earlier and what they say now. Accordingly, what they say here should be considered for the meaning rather than exactness.

OFFICER"K"


I was assigned to work traffic and the crowd along Stemmons at Industrial. Officer ______ was with me. I heard and saw the motorcade coming toward the Trade Mart, but I could tell something wasn't right as they were traveling too fast, and they were strung out. When they passed us and continued north on Industrial, I knew something was wrong.

Shortly thereafter we were sent to Elm and Houston. We were copying vehicle license numbers for a while. Then Officer Tippit got shot over in Oak Cliff.

The dispatcher was calling for some help there, and there were enough officers at Elm and Houston, so we were sent to Oak Cliff.

About the time we reached the area the dispatcher was broadcasting information regarding the suspect and his escape route. We pulled up on Jefferson and started checking some cars parked behind a service station to see if the suspect was hiding in or under one of the cars. That's when we found his jacket. We saw Captain ______ in his car on Jefferson so I turned the jacket over to him. It isn't easy to handle a motorcycle and hang on to a jacket.

About this time some officers who had been checking houses in the area reached a church and wanted help to search it. By then, I had gotten separated from Officer ______. While I was around there and some officers were checking, another squad spotted a subject fitting the general description of the suspect running into the branch library at Jefferson and Marsalis. However, he turned out to be an employee.

A while later the suspect was arrested in the Texas Theatre. I have heard that someone suggested that "the real suspect" had escaped by hiding in that church while officers were drawn away to the library on a wild goose chase. That's ridiculous. The church was searched, and the subject did merit being checked. From a distance, he fitted the description, and he was running as if he were being chased. The officer who spotted him would have been grossly negligent had he ignored that subject.

Later that day, after things had settled down, I was with another three-wheel officer and some others when he commented about his earlier troubles which included his radio microphone sticking open during the assassination.

It appears to me that officer “K” is probably the same officer identified only as call number 279 on the recording of channel one. This is apparently who found the jacket under the car and turned it over to (if I remember correctly) Captain Westbrook. So, it appears that Bowles knew who this officer was. However, he doesn’t identify most of the officers for reasons stated in his introduction to the chapter. It is not difficult to identify some of the officers based on the actions that they testified about. But officer “K” (aka: 279) is still unidentified as far as I know. He said that he was originally assigned to traffic duty near Stemmons and Industrial. And appears to me to be a three wheeler motorcycle officer.

If anyone has any suggestions regarding where else we should be looking for information that might help identify this officer, I would greatly appreciate it.

[Jerry Organ]

     In Gary Savage’s 1993 book, JFK First Day Evidence, an officer identified
     only as “K” told the story of finding the jacket. “We pulled up on Jefferson
     and started checking some cars parked behind a service station to see if the
     suspect was hiding in or under one of the cars. That’s when we found his jacket.
     I saw Captain [Westbrook] in his car on Jefferson so I turned the jacket over to
     him. It isn’t easy to handle a motorcycle and hang on to a jacket.” Officer “K”
     was described as a three-wheel motorcycle officer who was assigned to “work
     traffic and the crowd along Stemmons at Industrial.” A list of Dallas police
     motorcade assignments shows three officers assigned to the Stemmons
     service road at Industrial: Three-wheel motorcycle officers John R. Mackey and
     W.E. Wilson; and Accident Prevention Bureau Officer R.J. Kosan. [Footnote]

     A three-wheel motorcycle officer, J.T. Griffin, who was in the same squad as
     John R. Mackey and Thomas A. Hutson, reported the jacket’s discovery to
     dispatcher Murray Jackson:

          01:25:51.60 p.m. 279 (J.T. GRIFFIN): We believe we’ve got this suspect on
          shooting this officer out here. Got his white jacket. Believe he dumped it on
          this parking lot behind this service station at 400 block East Jefferson, across
          from Dudley Hughes. And – ah – he had a white jacket on, we believe this is it.
     
          01:26:05.12 p.m. Dispatcher: 10-4. You do not have the suspect, is that correct?
     
          01:26:08.24 p.m. 279 (GRIFFIN): No, just the jacket laying on the ground.
     __________

     (Myers' Footnote: "19H131-132 Batchelor Exhibit 5002, pp.14-15; Endnote No.567,
     With Malice, 2013 Edition, p.733 [NOTE: Sergeant Stringer, who arrived at the
     scene with Westbrook, did end up with possession of the jacket, radioing in to the
     dispatcher on Channel 2 at 1:45 p.m.: “This – ah – could you pass this to someone.
     The – ah – jacket the suspect was wearing over here on Jefferson in this shooting –
     bears the laundry tag with the letter B 9738. See if there is a way you can check
     this laundry tag.” (23H925 CE1974, p.188)")

"Warren Reynolds and Oswald’s Jacket" by Dale K. Myers ( Link )

[Martin Weidmann]

     In Gary Savage’s 1993 book, JFK First Day Evidence, an officer identified
     only as “K” told the story of finding the jacket. “We pulled up on Jefferson
     and started checking some cars parked behind a service station to see if the
     suspect was hiding in or under one of the cars. That’s when we found his jacket.
     I saw Captain [Westbrook] in his car on Jefferson so I turned the jacket over to
     him. It isn’t easy to handle a motorcycle and hang on to a jacket.” Officer “K”
     was described as a three-wheel motorcycle officer who was assigned to “work
     traffic and the crowd along Stemmons at Industrial.” A list of Dallas police
     motorcade assignments shows three officers assigned to the Stemmons
     service road at Industrial: Three-wheel motorcycle officers John R. Mackey and
     W.E. Wilson; and Accident Prevention Bureau Officer R.J. Kosan. [Footnote]

     A three-wheel motorcycle officer, J.T. Griffin, who was in the same squad as
     John R. Mackey and Thomas A. Hutson, reported the jacket’s discovery to
     dispatcher Murray Jackson:

          01:25:51.60 p.m. 279 (J.T. GRIFFIN): We believe we’ve got this suspect on
          shooting this officer out here. Got his white jacket. Believe he dumped it on
          this parking lot behind this service station at 400 block East Jefferson, across
          from Dudley Hughes. And – ah – he had a white jacket on, we believe this is it.
     
          01:26:05.12 p.m. Dispatcher: 10-4. You do not have the suspect, is that correct?
     
          01:26:08.24 p.m. 279 (GRIFFIN): No, just the jacket laying on the ground.
     __________

     (Myers' Footnote: "19H131-132 Batchelor Exhibit 5002, pp.14-15; Endnote No.567,
     With Malice, 2013 Edition, p.733 [NOTE: Sergeant Stringer, who arrived at the
     scene with Westbrook, did end up with possession of the jacket, radioing in to the
     dispatcher on Channel 2 at 1:45 p.m.: “This – ah – could you pass this to someone.
     The – ah – jacket the suspect was wearing over here on Jefferson in this shooting –
     bears the laundry tag with the letter B 9738. See if there is a way you can check
     this laundry tag.” (23H925 CE1974, p.188)")

"Warren Reynolds and Oswald’s Jacket" by Dale K. Myers ( Link )

an officer identified only as “K” told the story of finding the jacket

So, what's the big deal in hiding this guy's identity for so many decades?

[Jerry Organ]

an officer identified only as “K” told the story of finding the jacket

So, what's the big deal in hiding this guy's identity for so many decades?

I think it was a simple and respectful professional courtesy towards fellow police officers, mainly so they wouldn't be hounded and accused of being in on the assassination and cover-up by JFK Assassination Conspiracy Theorists and the so-called Skeptics.

[Martin Weidmann]

I think it was a simple and respectful professional courtesy towards fellow police officers, mainly so they wouldn't be hounded and accused of being in on the assassination and cover-up by JFK Assassination Conspiracy Theorists and the so-called Skeptics.

Are you really this naive? That's not how the law works. Officer "K" (if he really is the one that found it) is part of the chain of custody for the jacket. As such he should have been named on day one, when several officers were asked to put their initials on the jacket.

Why would they even consider the possibility of there being "Conspiracy theorist" on day one and why would an officer who just happened to find a jacket need protection when others, like Westbrook, were identified? It doesn't make any sense.

[Charles Collins]

     In Gary Savage’s 1993 book, JFK First Day Evidence, an officer identified
     only as “K” told the story of finding the jacket. “We pulled up on Jefferson
     and started checking some cars parked behind a service station to see if the
     suspect was hiding in or under one of the cars. That’s when we found his jacket.
     I saw Captain [Westbrook] in his car on Jefferson so I turned the jacket over to
     him. It isn’t easy to handle a motorcycle and hang on to a jacket.” Officer “K”
     was described as a three-wheel motorcycle officer who was assigned to “work
     traffic and the crowd along Stemmons at Industrial.” A list of Dallas police
     motorcade assignments shows three officers assigned to the Stemmons
     service road at Industrial: Three-wheel motorcycle officers John R. Mackey and
     W.E. Wilson; and Accident Prevention Bureau Officer R.J. Kosan. [Footnote]

     A three-wheel motorcycle officer, J.T. Griffin, who was in the same squad as
     John R. Mackey and Thomas A. Hutson, reported the jacket’s discovery to
     dispatcher Murray Jackson:

          01:25:51.60 p.m. 279 (J.T. GRIFFIN): We believe we’ve got this suspect on
          shooting this officer out here. Got his white jacket. Believe he dumped it on
          this parking lot behind this service station at 400 block East Jefferson, across
          from Dudley Hughes. And – ah – he had a white jacket on, we believe this is it.
     
          01:26:05.12 p.m. Dispatcher: 10-4. You do not have the suspect, is that correct?
     
          01:26:08.24 p.m. 279 (GRIFFIN): No, just the jacket laying on the ground.
     __________

     (Myers' Footnote: "19H131-132 Batchelor Exhibit 5002, pp.14-15; Endnote No.567,
     With Malice, 2013 Edition, p.733 [NOTE: Sergeant Stringer, who arrived at the
     scene with Westbrook, did end up with possession of the jacket, radioing in to the
     dispatcher on Channel 2 at 1:45 p.m.: “This – ah – could you pass this to someone.
     The – ah – jacket the suspect was wearing over here on Jefferson in this shooting –
     bears the laundry tag with the letter B 9738. See if there is a way you can check
     this laundry tag.” (23H925 CE1974, p.188)")

"Warren Reynolds and Oswald’s Jacket" by Dale K. Myers ( Link )

Thanks Jerry, that’s a great post, very informative. Yes, I should have realized that if it had anything to do with the Tippit murder, Dale Myers would have researched it thoroughly. I have his book and have read it a long time ago. But just didn’t remember all the details. Thanks again!

[Jerry Organ]

Are you really this naive? That's not how the law works. Officer "K" (if he really is the one that found it) is part of the chain of custody for the jacket. As such he should have been named on day one, when several officers were asked to put their initials on the jacket.

Why would they even consider the possibility of there being "Conspiracy theorist" on day one and why would an officer who just happened to find a jacket need protection when others, like Westbrook, were identified? It doesn't make any sense.

The only "chain of custody" that would work for you would might be Hollywood-quality film of Oswald ditching his jacket. In CT contrarian world, lots of people were just randomly placing wearable jacket under cars that day.

[Martin Weidmann]

The only "chain of custody" that would work for you would might be Hollywood-quality film of Oswald ditching his jacket. In CT contrarian world, lots of people were just randomly placing wearable jacket under cars that day.

The only "chain of custody" that would work for you would might be Hollywood-quality film of Oswald ditching his jacket.

Total and utter BS. A chain of custody is not only required by law, but it also prevents evidence tampering by law enforcement. I'm not sure why you would have a problem with that.