LA City Sues Reporter and Watchdog Group Over LAPD Officer Info Release

The city of Los Angeles is suing a journalist and a watchdog group over the publication of Los Angeles Police Department officers’ names, photos and other information in a searchable online database. The lawsuit comes just days after the city was itself sued by the police officers’ union the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which objects to the Watch the Watchers database, claiming it endangers officers. The information for the database came from a public records request filed by a reporter for the nonprofit outlet Knock LA, who then provided it to the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, creators of the database. The city filed suit against the reporter and the coalition, demanding that the information and photos be returned to the city and any copies destroyed.