Was This Teen Program a Hunting Ground?! #truecrime #crimejunkiespodcast | Forensic Files

The Explorer case out of Louisville, Kentucky, blew the doors off a scandal that we are diving deep into this week.
For years, the Louisville Metro Police Department let its youth post operate as a hunting ground. Starting around 2011,
officer Kenneth Betts, the face of the police explorer program at their department, and other officers groomed
and sexually abused teens they were supposed to be mentoring. complaints started hitting the
department, but instead of blowing it up and warning the public, LMPD let Betts quietly resign and kept the program
alive. It took civil lawsuits, and an FBI investigation to expose just how deep it went. At least seven known
victims, multiple perpetrators, and a department that buried problems instead of shutting them down. Once the scandal
finally blew open, the system scrambled to catch up. Federal prosecutors sent key officers, including vets, to prison.
Some others walked away with lighter sentences. And in 2021, the city and Scouting America paid out a 3.65 million
settlement to seven victims. This case helped bring attention to this issue, but there are so many more Police
Explorer program scandals. Watch our full episode to see just what all we uncovered.

Follow Crime Junkie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crimejunkiepodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrimeJunkiePodcast/ Twitter: https://x.com/CrimeJunkiePod Crime Junkie is created and hosted by Ashley Flowers.

About Ashley Flowers Ashley Flowers is the top female podcaster in the U.S. and the host of Crime Junkie, the #1 podcast among women and the #1 true crime podcast globally. As the Founder of audiochuck, she has built a top-tier podcast production company that has garnered over 2.6 billion downloads, captivating audiences with its gripping storytelling through 10+ chart topping podcasts. Ashley and her team are dedicated to creating responsible true crime content that respects victims and their families.

Follow Ashley: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ASHLEYFLOWERS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ash_flowers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleyflowerscrimejunkie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleyflowers.af/ Pre-order Ashley’s highly anticipated second novel, The Missing Half, hitting shelves this May! | https://ashleyflowers.com/books

Brief Summary

The episode discusses the Louisville Police Explorer scandal involving abuse by officer Kenneth Betts and systemic failures in the police department.

Key points

The Explorer Scandal Uncovered. A deep dive into the Louisville police scandal involving grooming and abuse of teens.

Episode quotes

The Explorer case blew the doors off a scandal.

0:02WatchJan 2, 2026

More from Crime Junkie

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.