Open-government group eyes police-lawsuit settlements

Philadelphia shells out a pretty penny every year to settle lawsuits based on allegations of police misconduct.

MuckRock.com, which bills itself as a "collaborative news site" that helps journalists, researchers and citizens analyze and share government documents, posted an online report yesterday that looked at how Philadelphia's annual payouts stack up against those in a handful of other large cities. The findings might not surprise you.

The city has shelled out more than $40 million to settle 584 of the 1,223 police-misconduct lawsuits – think wrongful-shooting deaths, excessive force or illegal searches – filed since January 2009, the website reported. Continue>>>
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