More than 300 LAPD officers work undercover SUE the city over watchdog posting their photos online

More than 300 undercover Los Angeles cops filed legal claims against the city and the precinct on Tuesday after their names and photos were released to a technology watchdog group that posted them online.

The watchdog group Stop LAPD Spying Coalition last month posted more than 9,300 information and photos of officers in a searchable online database called ‘Look at the guards’ following a request for public records by a reporter for progressive news outlet Knock LA.

Chief Michel Moore previously admitted that the department had “made a huge mistake” and said he “deeply regrets that the mistake was made.”

It comes just a week after an LAPD union announced it was suing a website called killercop.com, which alleged it placed bounties on officers’ heads after their photos and personal information were released to the public.

Hundreds of undercover agents were included in the database, although it is not clear exactly how many, because the database does not specify which agents work undercover.

The watchdog group Stop LAPD Spying Coalition posted more than 9,300 information and photos of officers to a searchable online database called “Watch the Watchers” last month

The officers were not given advance notice of the revelation, and the backlash has left the department in turmoil.

The Inspector General is investigating Chief Michel Moore and Constitutional Police Director Liz Rhodes after an officer’s union filed a complaint of misconduct.

Rhodes “should have made sure that any officer working in an undercover position was disbarred,” LAPD sources told the LA times.

While the city attorney’s office determined that the agency was required by law to turn over the files — which included a photo and information on each officer, including name, ethnicity, rank, date of enlistment, badge number, and division or agency — according to the California law waivers are often made for security or investigative reasons.

The Stop LAPD Spying Coalition opposes police intelligence gathering, saying the database should be used for “countersurveillance.”

Attorney Matthew McNicholas said 321 undercover officers have filed legal claims, the precursor to a lawsuit, through his office and more are expected to come forward. The names of the officers were not listed on the court documents.

“Only time will tell how many there are in total,” McNicholas said at a news conference Tuesday announcing the applications.

The claims allege negligence and seek unspecified damages. Prosecutors say they can no longer work as undercover officers and, in some cases, may not be able to work for the police at all in the future.

Chief Michel Moore (pictured) previously admitted the department had “made a huge mistake” and said he “deeply regrets the mistake was made”

Attorney Matthew McNicholas announces lawsuit filed against the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department

McNicholas said his clients fear for their safety – as well as that of their families – and want to know if the city will provide them with protection.

He said he is aware of several investigations involving undercover officers, such as cases against gangs, drug and sex traffickers, which have been dropped following the revelation. He does not want to give more details.

Tuesday’s claims follow separate lawsuits filed last month by the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing the department’s constituency.

The union has sued the police chief in an effort to reclaim the photos from the undercover officers and prevent further disclosure.

“We made a mistake in that there are pictures in it that shouldn’t have been there,” Moore told the newspaper. Los Angeles Times, who first reported the revelation. “Now … that ship has sailed.”

Officer Jeff Lee, a spokesperson for the department, said the agency would not comment on the pending lawsuit.

The LA times reported last week that “Stop LAPD Spying Coalition,” an anti-police group, placed information from officers in an online database called “Watch the Watchers,” which allows users to search for police by name or serial number.

Users are then taken to a profile page of the wanted officer, including their photo, serial number, ethnicity, and year of hire.

The Inspector General investigates Chief Michel Moore and Constitutional Police Director Liz Rhodes (pictured) after an officer’s union filed a misconduct complaint

“This website is intended as a resource to empower community members engaged in copwatching and other countersurveillance practices,” the group wrote on its website.

“You can use it to identify agents who are wreaking havoc in your community. The ease of use of the website also makes it a political statement, flipping the direction of surveillance against the agents of the state.

“The police have extensive information on all of us at their fingertips, but they move in secrecy.”

It was later revealed that the LAPD provided the names and information of undercover officers to the anti-police group as part of a public request for information – hundreds of whom are likely to put their positions at risk.

“I personally understand, given my own death threats and in matters of me as a public figure and my family as a chief and even before that, how distressing this can be for a member of this organization, and even more so for those involved in sensitive and or confidential investigations,” Moore told lawofficer.com.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, called the release “an unacceptable violation that endangers the lives of our officers and their families.”

“I expect there to be a full record of how this happened and a clear plan to prevent incidents like this from happening again,” she added.