Lawsuit alleges DC police department keeps 'watchlist' of critics.
The deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have created a movement demanding police reform, but what does that mean?A lawsuit filed Wednesday against the District of Columbia alleges its police department keeps a"watchlist" of critics and stalls or denies requests for public information from those on it.
MORE: Bridgeport NAACP asks DOJ to investigate police department following Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Lee Rawls cases If someone on the alleged list submits a request to MPD under the D.C. Freedom of Information Act, it is"set aside for special review by high-ranking officials, including the Chief of Police," the lawsuit alleges.
In the lawsuit, Phillips said her allegedly being on the list amounts to a violation of her First Amendment rights.Inspector Vendette Parker, a former FOIA officer for MPD, reportedly alerted Phillips to the existence of the"unofficial, unwritten policy," the lawsuit states.
Every week, Parker was required to notify Newsham and LeeAnn Turner, the chief operating officer of MPD, of requests that"may lead to criticism of the department, specifically those originating from news reporters or people known to be critical of the department, or those containing requests for information with the potential to embarrass the department," according to the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, those on the alleged list -- including reporters, advisory neighborhood commissioners and criminal defense lawyers -- always at least experienced a delay in their requests"while the department prepares for any criticism that may result."According to former colleagues of Parker, the lawsuit alleges, current Chief of Police Robert Contee has not ended or suspended the policy.
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