In a lawsuit filed by Jay-Z Team Roc against the Kansas City Police Department, Team Roc is alleging that this department covered up acts of police misconduct. It was reported on Monday (Sept. 20) that Roc Nation’s social justice arm filed an amicus curiae in Kansas County district court seeking access to the registries of previous complaints filed against Kansas City police.
Team Roc attorney Alex Spiro states that Roc Nation’s philanthropic arm originally requested to obtain public records “regarding complaints made against members of the Investigative Division” under the Kansas Public Records Act. They alleged, however, that the documents they received did not contain information on the steps Kansas City had taken in response to the complaints against them, and were thus insufficient.
We can see certain files and how the government handled certain issues thanks to the [Kansas] Public Records Act, which makes public state and government documents available to interested citizens,” said Spiro. “We’re suing to see what the government doesn’t want us to see. The government has tried to block us from accessing those files.”
According to the lawsuit, these documents will help determine the extent of the problem, as well as any possible evidence of a cover-up and possible causes.
KORA requires that personnel records and criminal investigation records, for example, be kept confidential without specific reasons, Nancy Chartrand, public information officer of the Laredo Police Department, said in a statement to ABC News.
A 28-page petition has since been filed on behalf of Team Roc, requesting that all records be disclosed to support a claim for justice. Apparently, they are still waiting for a response.
ABC News reports that members of the Kansas City Police Department have been implicated in numerous cases of police misconduct. The suit cites specific instances in which officers committed sex crimes in connection with a minor, accused of mistreating an inmate, faced assault charges for felony and misdemeanor assault, and more.
This article was penned by Jonathan P. Wright. Jonathan is a freelance writer for multiple mainstream publications and CVO of RADIOPUSHERS. You can read more of his work by clicking here.
