City of LA files lawsuit against journalist and watchdog group connected to mass release of officers' photos
The City of Los Angeles has filed a lawsuit against an journalist and watchdog group, accused of illegally possessing photos of thousands of officers, including those working undercover.
The defendants received the photos, names and work locations of 9,000 officers through a public record request. However, officials initially refused to release the information, prompting the watchdog organization "Stop LAPD Spying Coalition" to file a lawsuit compelling the department to release the information.
The city accidentally released the information relating to officers working sensitive assignments including those undercover.
In order to "protect the lives and work of these undercover officers" and get the photos back the city filed a lawsuit against those involved, including journalist Ben Camacho.
UPDATE on LAPD's photo drop: The city of LA is suing me and the StopLAPDSpying Coalition, alleging that I illegally posses the photos they gave me.
— benjamin (@bencamach0) April 5, 2023
This comes after they demanded I return the flash drive and delete digital copies. See 2nd & 3rd screenshot. https://t.co/movJegiVoG pic.twitter.com/GeENvdS7QV
"Defendants Ben Camacho, Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, and Does 1-50 are willfully exposing to the public the identities of Los Angeles Police Department ("LAPD") officers in undercover assignments on the website Watch the Watchers, despite knowing that they are not entitled to possess this information," the lawsuit states.
The city seemed unaware that they released the information relating to the undercover officers until a reporter from the Los Angeles Times reached out to the Los Angeles Police Protective League for a comment on the ordeal, nearly two months after the initial release.
Following the release, the officers' information appeared on the website named "Killer Cops" which offered a bounty to anyone that killed an officer.
"This dangerous and abhorrent threat has further endangered every police officer, as well as their families, and we will be asking a judge to immediately intervene to protect our members," LAPPL President Craig Lally.
In addition to a lawsuit against the owner of the website, the union issued a cease-and-desist notice on Twitter and Google seeking the immediate removal of the "Killer Cop" website from the platforms.
The LAPPL also filed an internal affairs complaint against Police Chief Michel Moore as well as other LAPD and city personnel involved in the release of the officers' information.