GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — In the latest twist in a case that pits the city against its police, the command officers' union will ask a federal judge to decide if Grand Rapids police personnel were intentionally deceived about the fact that their phone calls were being recorded.
This whole can of worms was opened when former Assistant Kent County Prosecutor Joshua Kuiper drunkenly crashed into a parked car while traveling down the wrong way of a one-way street and officers on scene decided not to ticket him.
The reason we know this is because of a phone line at Grand Rapids police headquarters, line 3407, that was labeled "non-recorded."
But, of course it was recorded and now the city is being sued by Former Lt. Matthew Janiskee and the command union, saying the city violated their rights by essentially eavesdropping on calls they believed were private.
"The entire command staff, whoever used that phone, all the private phone calls that were made on it. A lot of people used that phone and they need to be compensated as well," said Andrew Rodenhouse, attorney for Janiskee.
Janiskee was fired for his part in the traffic stop that led to outrage and an apology from the chief.
In documents filed Thursday, the attorneys for the Janiskee and the union say the city, "Must have instructed … an outside contractor to both set Line 3407 to record phone calls AND to label it as a non-recorded line."
In response, the city's attorneys say that the recording on the line labeled "non-recorded" was "inadvertent" and they were not being actively or intentionally recorded.
The city also denies any intent to harm. But that doesn't matter, says Rodenhouse.
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