Police Leader Unable to Escape Wiretapping Claims From Officers

Seven police officers can continue pursuing allegations that one of their superiors illegally recorded them and violated their constitutional rights, a district court ruled.

Pittsburgh Police Commander Matthew Lackner’s motion to dismiss some of the officers’ state and federal wiretap and Fourteenth Amendment claims was partially denied Monday, Judge William S. Stickman said in a memorandum opinion. The officers plausibly alleged in the US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania that Lackner surreptitiously used body-worn cameras in unmarked patrol cars.

Stickman partially granted the motion and dismissed one of the officer’s wiretapping allegations, some of the officers’ Fourth ...