London police under FBI investigation tied to use of national criminal database

The FBI is investigating the London Police Department for potentially misusing a national crime database, according to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office.

A board overseeing the London-Laurel County Communications shifted partial control of the 911 dispatch center to the sheriff’s office Tuesday because the London Police Department lost its sponsorship authority of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information System last week, Sheriff John Root told the Herald-Leader.

Access to the federal criminal database is a crucial part of routine law enforcement activity, as it allows investigators to cross-check fingerprints and criminal records across more than 19,000 agencies nationwide. Kentucky State Police is the main agency for CJIS access in the state.

KSP audit staff called the sheriff Thursday and told him his office should become the controlling agency at the dispatch center because the police department was losing its access to the interagency database.

Root said KSP told him the London Police Department was the subject of an “ongoing FBI investigation.”

The FBI did not respond to a Herald-Leader request for comment. The agency does not usually comment on ongoing criminal investigations. It maintains a satellite field office in London.

Root said he suspects London Police Department lost its access to CJIS due to misuse.

“If you’re doing things right, you normally don’t have people requesting a change,” he said. “KSP requested the change, so I’m assuming that they saw problems.”

KSP, the London Police Department and London Mayor Randall Weddle did not immediately respond to a Herald-Leader request for comment.

CJIS operates databases like the National Crime Information Center with real-time information on stolen property and wanted persons, Next-Generation Identification software and National Instant Criminal Background Check System for information on firearms.

Most agencies maintain strict internal policies that limit the use of CJIS audits to those under investigation for suspicion of a crime, said Jimmy Phelps, a retired KSP trooper in London.

“You run names through the database, and you can find out if there’s already a case open against them,” he said. “You can see exactly what their background is.”

KSP requires troopers to obtain approval from a supervisor before a name is audited, Phelps said. Law enforcement officers are prohibited from using the system for personal use, he added.

This story was originally published February 4, 2026 at 2:08 PM.