Settlement in Trinidad Checkpoint Case
Plaintiffs who challenged Metropolitan Police Department checkpoints used two years ago in Trinidad in Northeast will each receive $3,500 and legal fees for their trouble.
In a case that led a federal appeals court to rule the checkpoints unconstitutional, the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund represented three D.C. residents who complained about the checkpoints. The District of Columbia reached a settlement with the plaintiffs on Thursday.
The checkpoints were established in an effort to prevent crime in Trinidad. Drivers were subjected to police questioning, and the checkpoint officers refused to let motorists pass through if they would not reveal information about their residency or destination.
The settlement also requires police to expunge any data they collected on any persons stopped at the checkpoints.
