Nearly 700 undercover officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) filed a lawsuit against the city on Tuesday, claiming that their safety had been compromised due to the disclosure of department photos and personal information earlier this year. The information was released through the California Public Records Act and subsequently posted on various websites. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges negligence on the part of the city and the department, stating that the release of undercover officers’ names, photos, and personal details has put their lives and investigations at risk. The plaintiffs’ attorneys are demanding accountability and the implementation of safeguards.
“We attempted to address the damage caused by the city of Los Angeles’ careless exposure of undercover officers’ identities. However, their refusal to take responsibility and establish proper safeguards has left us with no choice but to pursue legal action,” said attorney Matthew Nicholas.
“Criminal elements continue to exploit this information to track, follow, and harass these police officers. Their lives, careers, and ongoing investigations to protect the public are at stake, and we urge the city of L.A. to take immediate action,” Nicholas added.
The City Attorney’s Office has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
The legal action originated from California Public Records Act requests made to the LAPD, which initially refused to comply. However, the city of Los Angeles eventually responded to these requests but mistakenly included confidential information regarding undercover officers who were on active duty or had previously served in covert assignments.
This data, which comprised officers’ names, photos, email addresses, phone numbers, serial numbers, ethnicities, genders, ranks, and more, was published on the “Watch the Watchers” website, a searchable database created by the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore expressed his unawareness of the information release and later issued an apology, launching an internal investigation. The plaintiffs’ lawyers believe that the commanding officer of constitutional policy and policing authorized the release without Moore’s knowledge.
The release of the photos, especially of undercover officers, caused a stir within the department and prompted apologies from Chief Michel Moore. Mayor Karen Bass also condemned the exposure of information about undercover officers. In a separate lawsuit last week, attorney Abel Nair filed a case on behalf of 140 current or retired plaintiffs with similar allegations against the city and the department.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
