A police sergeant in Rogers is suing the city, accusing it of violating state privacy laws by releasing her photograph to the press without her permission.
A complaint filed Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court alleges the city provided an official department photo of Sgt. Joleen Pitts on Feb. 10 when it announced she and Rogers Police Chief Jeff Luther had been put on paid administrative leave for undisclosed reasons.
Photos of both officers in their uniforms were used in at least four TV news reports or online stories, the suit said.
The complaint claims release of the images violated the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act and the Peace Officer Discipline Procedures Act. Both laws protect officers and do not allow release of official photos without their permission.
"It isn't as if the city didn't know what it was doing, or at least should have known," said Chris Wachtler, Pitts' attorney.
The lawsuit claims Pitts has endured mental anguish, psychological distress and irreparable damage to her reputation, and it seeks damages greater than $50,000, plus attorneys' fees and costs. She has been a police officer for about 20 years and joined the Rogers force in 2005.
Rogers City Administrator Steve Stahmer said the city had no comment on the lawsuit.
The fast-growing northwestern Hennepin County community of 7,500 has a police force of 14. Pitts and Luther remain on paid administrative leave.
