The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico has filed a freedom-of-speech lawsuit against the Albuquerque Police Oversight Commission.
The ACLU contends that the civilian board limited the public comment period during a meeting in mid-December. The board reviews allegations of police misconduct and excessive force.
The police department has been plagued by a number of high-profile cases alleging excessive force. Since 2010, the city also has had a string of officer-involved shootings.
The ACLU lawsuit stems from a meeting at which community advocates planned to criticize the commission for allowing a commissioner who they believed had a conflict of interest to remain on the panel.
At the time, commissioners said they had voted that there was no conflict of interest so the board would be wasting its time by discussing old business.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.