LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) and a group of officers’ it represents have filed a lawsuit against the owner of a website that lists bounties for the killing of police officers. In the civil action, LAPPL demands the website be taken down immediately, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported.
“Late last week, the LAPD mistakenly released the pictures, names and work locations of 9,000 officers through California Public Records Act requests, including those who work in sensitive assigned and undercover operations,” according to a statement from the police union.
“As a result of the LAPD’s negligence in releasing the pictures, names and work locations of officers, even those working in undercover operations, the owner of the `killer cops’ website was able to download this sensitive information, post it online and place a bounty to be paid to anyone who kills a Los Angeles police officer,” said LAPPL President Craig Lally.
“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,” Lally said.
Plaintiffs listed on the LAPPL lawsuit include LAPD officers Adam Gross, Adrian Rodriguez and Douglas Panameno. The defendant is named as Steven William Sutcliffe “a user of the website Twitter, and utilizes the username KILLERCOP1984,” the lawsuit states.
LAPPL attorneys also served a cease-and-desist notice on Twitter and Google as the organization seeks the immediate removal of the “killer cop” website from their platforms, according to FOX 11.
“We certainly hope that Twitter and Google act with a sense of urgency to remove this threatening domestic terrorism site,” Robert Rico, general counsel of the LAPPL, said in a statement. “The colossal blunder perpetuated by the LAPD in releasing this sensitive information must be met with a zero-tolerance approach by these two social media companies, which should include a lifetime ban of the owner of this site.”
The lawsuit filed by the LAPPL is not against the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, which has sought public records from the department, but the owner of the “killer cop” website, according to Tom Saggau, a spokesman for the police union.
“We’re looking into all websites to see legally what we can do,” Jamie McBride, an LAPPL director, told City News Service. “However, the `killer cop’ website was of the utmost important to our membership and for officers’ safety.”
