The city of Los Angeles has filed a lawsuit against journalist Ben Camacho of Knock LA and the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition after they published names and photos of undercover Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers. The information was inadvertently released in response to a public records request made by Camacho, resulting in hundreds of officers being put at risk, according to city officials.
Mayor Karen Bass sharply criticized the release as "egregious," stating that it posed an immense threat to ongoing investigations involving those officers. Following their exposure on a website dubbed "Killer Cops," which offered bounties for killing any listed officer, several undercover agents have filed damages claims against both the city and department.
In defense, attorneys representing the City claim that releasing images was wholly inadvertent while stressing how such actions endanger these police professionals' lives. Conversely, members from within Stop LAPD Spying Coalition insist this is nothing more than an attack upon public liberties when requesting access or publishing available data sources.
Legal experts largely dismiss this case as baseless; they argue that journalistic protections under 1st Amendment laws render its foundational premise untenable. However, lawsuits continue piling up - rank-and-file union representatives are suing Chief Michel Moore over image disclosure practices while seeking cessation orders for further releases alongside recovery measures concerning already-published content.
Meanwhile, over 300 sensitive assignment-based LAPD employees have announced intentions to sue their employer – citing negligence plus alleged life-endangerment through reckless photo distribution activities conducted internally by management staff operating above them hierarchically speaking