A District of Columbia judge has ordered the release of documents related to police policies in a blistering ruling that accused the department of making “transparently false” statements in an effort to keep the records private.

A Superior Court Judge in the District of Columbia slammed the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) for submitting “transparently false” affidavits in an unsuccessful effort to defeat a lawsuit brought by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) that demands that the MPD disclose its orders and policies.

The Metropolitan Police Department has been ordered by D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith N. Macaluso to release almost all of its orders and policies to the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund.

Expired tags, as it happens, were just one of 160 misdemeanor offenses where officers can choose either to take offenders into custody or to write them what is essentially a glorified ticket.

Testimony from Carl Messineo of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, speaking before the Committee on the Judiciary of the D.C. Council on improper MPD escorts to celebrities

District of Columbia police officials are investigating police escorts given to 17 celebrities since 2002 to find out who approved them, whether they were reimbursable and if there was a legitimate need for them, Chief Cathy Lanier said Thursday.

The MPD’s evasive responses have gone every which way, but straight. One wonders what it is that they are hiding. Citing “unusual circumstances,” they took an enlargement of time to respond and provide what should have been readily available information.

The PCJF today issued its strong support for the Open Government Act of 2010. Carl Messineo, co-founder and attorney with the PCJF testified today at the hearing before the D.C. Council's Committee on Government Operations and the Environment.