David Whitt, co-founded the St. Louis CopWatch, after Michael Brown was killed in 2014 by an on-duty police officer and there was no video evidence of the incident. He has provided CopWatch training in communities across the country.
In August 2016, he was arrested while recording a video of police activity despite maintaining a reasonable distance and complying with police orders. Following his unlawful arrest, his camcorder was seized and searched – only to be returned months later.
While the charges were subsequently dropped, Mr. Whitt pursued a civil lawsuit against the City and the police officers in order to seek damages and prevent future arrest and prosecution. In August 2019, the majority of our claims, including a claim against the City for retaliatory police practices, survived a motion to dismiss.
In July 2021, the court granted summary judgment for the defendants.