By Sonja Elmquist and Amanda Lehmert
Greensboro News & Record
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Police officers involved in a discrimination complaint against the city have requested an investigation into how their personnel information was released to a local newspaper.
District Attorney Doug Henderson said Tuesday that a group of police officers and their attorney, Ken Free, asked him to request an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation.
On Nov. 13, the Rhinoceros Times printed a list of the officers’ names obtained through a public records request seeking contracts between the city and other parties, according to the city manager.
John Hammer, editor of The Rhinoceros Times, said Tuesday, “I think the chances of the SBI investigating this are extremely slim.”
The names of the officers involved in an EEOC complaint were appended to a public agreement between the police department and the U.S. Department of Justice.
“If the agreement is a public document,” Hammer said, “I don’t know why one page would not be public.”
The city previously had refused to release the names of the officers involved or other information about the discrimination complaints, citing North Carolina personnel laws.
City Manager Mitchell Johnson said it was unfortunate the document was released.
“The document was handed over by the city unknowingly,” Johnson said. “The clerk had no idea that there was anything in the document other than contracts.”
A small group of the 39 police officers asked the district attorney’s office to consider requesting an SBI investigation into how their confidential personnel information was leaked to the public, Henderson said.
Henderson said he has never seen anyone charged with violating personnel laws by releasing confidential information - a class 2 misdemeanor.
Henderson will make his decision today or after the holiday, he said.
Attorneys for the officers declined to go into detail about the issue, but attorney Jason Knight said, “We are exploring all our options.”
The City Council and the officers had tried to negotiate a settlement to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaints since spring, but recently called off negotiations, according to Mayor Yvonne Johnson.
Copyright 2008 Greensboro News & Record