BALTIMORE (AP) - A federal judge has denied a motion to dismiss a suit that alleges Baltimore city officers deleted videos from a man's mobile phone after he recorded a confrontation between officers and a friend.
The judge heard arguments Monday in the case in which the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland challenges as unconstitutional the detention of Christopher Sharp, the seizure of his phone and the deletion of the recordings.
The Baltimore police department had asked the judge to dismiss the suit, arguing relief can't be granted for any of its claims and that the point is moot because officers are now trained to allow recordings.
The U.S. Department of Justice asked the judge to side with Sharp. It's the first time the department has weighed in on such a case.
