Jay Z sues Unified Government, KCKPD over open records request

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) - Rapper Jay Z’s Team ROC and the Midwest Innocence Project (MIP) are suing the Unified Government and the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department over documents they claim they’re not getting from them.

Team ROC and the MIP submitted an open records request a year ago trying to get documents amid allegation of widespread corruption and misconduct by the KCKPD. But the while the department has released 225 documents, none have related to misconduct by members of the department.

The lawsuit claims, “For decades, communities in Kansas City, Kansas--particularly minority and immigrant communities--have been subject to an alarming pattern of abuse and other serious misconduct by the KCKPD.”

The lawsuit names disgraced KCKPD detective Roger Golubski as among the numerous police officers who have abused their power. Golubski faces federal charges in two separate cases. One case accuses him of rape and kidnapping.

READ MORE: Lawsuit claims KCK police, including disgraced detective Roger Golubski, covered up crimes

The other case involves him allegedly working with and protecting drug dealers who ran a sex trafficking ring involving minors. Golubski has pled not guilty in both cases and will be in court on the charges next month.

The lawsuit claims, “serious consequences against offenders within the KCKPD are rare,” and that, “officers responsible for these terrible abuses have not been disciplined by the KCKPD for their conduct.”

It also claims the Unified Government has “stonewalled” their attempts for information, charging them $2,200 in fees for documents that, so far, have mostly been related to personnel and training records.

We contacted the Unified Government for a response to the lawsuit, but they declined, citing “pending litigation.”

The suit is asking a judge to order the records be produced within 30 days.

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