Jay-Z-led group seeks police agency’s files

An organization run by rapper Jay-Z has filed a petition seeking records from the Kansas City, Kan., police department related to what it calls a history of officer misconduct within the department.

The request was filed Monday in Wyandotte County District Court by Team Roc, which is the

criminal justice division of Jay-Z’s entertainment organization, Roc Nation.

The filling said the department has failed for decades to hold officers accountable for misconduct, including planting evidence, fabricating witnesses and soliciting sex from victims and witnesses, The Kansas City Star reported.

“And, thanks to the blue veil of silence and apparent failure to investigate serious allegations, little of it has come to light,” according to the petition.

The petition alleges that department officials refused to provide Team Roc with complaints filed against the department’s investigative division, reports or internal investigations against an officer who has a history of abuse allegations and policies relating to supervising detectives.

The department responded in a statement that it has given hundreds of pages of documents to Team Roc but the Kansas Open Records Act does not require the release of personnel records and criminal investigation files.

“In response, Roc Nation has filed a 28-page petition stating there is a special interest in disclosing all records so the public can seek justice. Once the petition has been thoroughly reviewed, the Unified Government will follow-up by filing a response,” the statement said.

Roc Nation alleges the city has refused on three separate occasions to release documents. It is asking the court to override the state’s public records law and make the documents public.

The state law includes a provision that allows a plaintiff to file a motion asking a judge to review a request for records and require that they be released.