Twitter suspended the anti-police website Killercop.com's account Wednesday for violating its rules against the incitement of violence, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The decision to suspend @killercop1984 comes after the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) announced a lawsuit against the website's owner, accusing him of publishing photos and putting bounties out on officers.
According to the suit, one tweet by site owner Steven Sutcliffe included an image of a monetary reward for killing Los Angeles Police Department officers and read, "Remember, #Rewards are double all year for #detectives and #female cops."
LAPPL President Craig Lally told the Times in a statement that he was "appreciative of Twitter acting swiftly to take down" Killercop.com, which he said "called for the murder of Los Angeles police officers."
"This was not about freedom of speech or public discourse, this was about protecting officers and their families; and for that we are grateful that this site is suspended," Lally said.
His comments rebuke Sutcliffe's assertion last week that the police union was "trying to silence" his free speech rights.
"The truth cannot be retaliatory," Sutcliffe told the paper. "It is First Amendment protected speech."
The legal battle comes after the LAPD accidentally released the names and photos of more than 9,300 officers, including some who work undercover, in a public records request, ABC's KABC-TV 7 reported.
Earlier this month, another anti-police site, WatchtheWatchers.net, established a searchable database using the information, including the officers' names, photos, divisions, and badge numbers.
The LAPPL is now preparing for another lawsuit against the website's administrators.
"This dangerous and abhorrent threat has further endangered every police officer, as well as their families; and we will be asking a judge to immediately intervene to protect our members," Lally said.
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