Jay-Z’s Team Roc, the social justice division of Roc Nation, and the Midwest Innocence Project have filed a lawsuit against the Kansas City Police Department and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, NBC News reports.
The suit accuses the department of withholding critical documents related to complaints against current and former detectives and officers despite a records request submitted by Roc Nation under the Kansas Open Records Act in November 2023.
“For decades, communities in Kansas City, Kansas—particularly minority and immigrant communities—have been subjected to an alarming pattern of abuse and other serious misconduct by the KCKPD,” the lawsuit states.
“Rather than promoting a culture of transparency and accountability, the KCKPD has a long history of turning a blind eye to (at best) and even covering up (if not worse) abusive and/or corrupt conduct by its officers.”
The complaint claims that the KCKPD and city officials have “stonewalled” Team Roc for nearly a year despite the plaintiffs agreeing to pay $2,200 in fees for the public records. According to the suit, the 225 documents provided so far are largely personnel locator records detailing officer shifts and assignments, with only a small portion consisting of training materials and department policies.
None of the documents provided pertain to “any complaint or investigation into even a single instance of misconduct by any member of the KCKPD,” as requested, the suit says.
Team Roc’s managing director, Dania Diaz, said personnel documents were relinquished for only three out of 16 requests, with some still unanswered within a reasonable timeframe as required by law.
“This filing is because human beings with badges have betrayed the public’s trust …That type of behavior must be held to a standard,” Diaz told NBC News.
Team Roc is requesting a court order requiring the records to be produced within 30 days.
Missouri’s public records law exempts certain documents from public access, such as personnel records of public employees and criminal investigation files. However, Team Roc argues
that the Unified Government denied its request with “broad, undifferentiated strokes,” failing to differentiate between records from ongoing and closed investigations and ignoring that most privacy concerns could be addressed through redactions.Despite paying a substantial fee for what was described as an “extensive” and “voluminous” request, the response consisted of generic explanations the organizations believe fall short of legal compliance.
“More importantly, the Unified Government’s blanket claim about ‘unfounded allegations’ is inadequate and highlights the core issue: the breakdown of public trust in law enforcement,” the lawsuit states.
The legal filing comes as the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department (KCKPD) faces increasing public backlash over allegations of corruption and civil rights violations.
KCKPD detective Roger Golubski was federally charged in September 2022 with civil rights crimes for allegedly exploiting Black women for sex and framing individuals for crimes they claim they did not commit. Activists have since called for a broader federal investigation into the department.
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