Retired Pittsburgh police commander violated the rights of officers he illegally recorded, lawsuit alleges

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The case against a retired Pittsburgh police commander accused of illegally recording fellow officers with his body-worn camera just got bigger.

A federal civil lawsuit was filed this week against the city of Pittsburgh and former Zone 2 Commander Matthew Lackner. 

The suit is asking for damages to cover attorney's fees and litigation costs after seven officers argue Lackner violated their rights under the Fourth and 14th Amendments. Those officers say they were unaware that Lackner was utilizing a body camera to record them along with utilizing the GPS function of the body-worn camera.

The investigation into Lackner began on Oct. 11 after police said a body-worn camera was found hidden in an unmarked Pittsburgh Bureau of Police vehicle. 

Investigators said they later found multiple concealed recordings of several Pittsburgh officers. They reviewed 14 different recordings and determined multiple Zone 2 officers had been recorded without their knowledge on cameras placed in unmarked vehicles. 

Lackner is accused of placing the cameras inside the vehicles, and investigators also said he hid his department-issued body camera so he could illegally record interactions with other officers. 

Lackner retired after the allegations. He was charged after a consultation with the district attorney's office.