'Watch The Watchers': Watchdog makes public identities of 300 Los Angeles undercover police officers

Los Angeles: Over 300 undercover agents of Los Angeles police have filed a criminal law suit against its own department after their names and mugshots were reportedly given to a tech journalists’ group that posted them online. As per reports, a journalist allegedly accessed the data of nearly 9300 officers via a public records request. All of which was later found on Stop LAPD Spying Coalition’s website in a searchable database called as ‘Watch the Watchers’. In an earlier statement, Chief Michel Moore acknowledged that the department had “made a big mistake” and expressed his “deep regret that the mistake occurred.” It happens just a week after the LAPD union disclosed it was suing killercop.com, alleging that the website placed rewards on the heads of officers after their photos and personal information were made public. The database contains hundreds of undercover officers, but it’s unclear how many precisely because it doesn’t say which officers are involved in covert operations. The revelation was not disclosed in advance to the officers, and the response has rocked the department. An investigation was launched by the inspector general against the Chief Michel Moore and the Director of Constitutional Policing for the organisation immediately after receiving misconduct report by the journalists’ union. According to LAPD sources, Rhodes’should have ensured that any officer operating in an undercover role was excluded. The records include a photograph and details on each officer, including name, ethnicity, rank, date of hire, badge number, and division or bureau. According to the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, the database should be used for “counter-surveillance,” not police information gathering. Attorney Matthew McNicholas reported that 321 undercover cops used his office to submit legal claims—the first step in starting a lawsuit—and that more are anticipated. The court papers did not include the names of the officers. During a news conference to announce the filings on Tuesday, McNicholas said, “Only time will tell how many there are in total.” The allegations of negligence and the requested penalties are vague. To quit or not to quit According to the plaintiffs, they are no longer able to serve as undercover officers and, in some instances, they may not be able to continue working in policing at all. According to McNicholas, his clients are concerned for their own safety as well as the safety of their families and want to know if the city will offer them security. He claimed to be aware of several undercover cop investigations into gangs, drugs, and sex traffickers that have been put on hold as a result of the revelation. He refused to give any more information. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents the department’s rank-and-file officers, filed two distinct lawsuits last month, which were followed by Tuesday’s allegations. According to Moore, who first revealed the disclosure to the Los Angeles Times, “We erred in that there are photographs in there that should not have been in there.” Now, that ship has left port. The department’s spokesperson, Officer Jeff Lee, stated that the organisation would not remark on the ongoing litigation. How it works The LA Times revealed last week that an anti-police organisation called the “Stop LAPD Spying Coalition” had uploaded information about police officers in a database called “Watch the Watchers” that allowed users to look up police by name or serial number. The user is then directed to the officer’s profile page, which includes the officer’s photo, serial number, ethnicity, and year of employment. According to the organisation’s website, “this website is intended as a tool to empower community members engaged in copwatch and other countersurveillance practises.” You can use it to find out which cops are hurting your neighbourhood. Because it is so simple to use, the website also serves as a political statement, turning the tide of surveillance against the government’s employees. “Despite having access to a wealth of knowledge about each of us, the police operate in secret.” Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.