Jay Z’s Team Roc, the social justice arm of his Roc Nation entertainment company, filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming Kansas City, Kansas, has violated public records laws by failing to “timely produce” law enforcement records related to decadeslong allegations of police abuse and misconduct.
The suit, filed in Wyandotte County District Court in partnership with the Midwest Innocence Project, says the Kansas City Police Department has not released substantial documents related to complaints pertaining to current and former detectives and officers after Roc Nation submitted a records request in November 2023.
“For decades, communities in Kansas City, Kansas — particularly minority and immigrant communities — have been subjected to an alarming pattern of abuse and other serious misconduct by the KCKPD,” according to the suit, which was first obtained by NBC News.
“Rather than promoting a culture of transparency and accountability, the KCKPD has a long history of turning a blind eye to (at best) and even covering up (if not worse) abusive and/or corrupt conduct by its officers,” the suit adds.