It’s been announced that the City has settled the lawsuit brought against the City and the FWPD office by the Jose Baudilio Lemus-Rodriguez estate concerning the police action shooting of Mr. Rodriguez.
I take no issue with the amount of the lawsuit, nor the fact it’s been settled. Â Frankly, I think we, the taxpayers, are getting off cheaply.
I do take issue with the City’s continued refusal to release the tape. Â If this has been settled, and there is no longer an investigation, release the tape. Â We citizens have a right to know what our police are up to. Â When our police and fire operate in the darkness of night, the potential for abuse and wrong exists. Â What do you have to hide?
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I note the attorney representing the family agreed to return the tapes as part of the settlement. Apparently it was worth $335K to the city to not have those tapes get played in court.
The city had to give them the tapes as part of discovery in the suit. The only way to keep them out of open court was to settle… handy “bargaining” tool for the people suing.
I mean, effectively…
Mike – Good points. Do you think the tapes should be seen by the citizens?
It’s a standard record created in the normal course of police business. It’s only common sense that a record ceases to be “investigatory” and in need of protection once there is no longer an investigation or the investigation is completed.
The city is basically abusing the law and defying common sense… to protect /something/. We don’t know what.
So yes, I think any citizen should be able to see it. Otherwise we’ll never know what the city is trying to hide.