Appeals court rules that police officers’ complaints not protected speech
donal brown
July 20, 2009
In a split decision, a federal appeals court ruled that officers’ complaints about a superior’s conduct were not a public concern and therefore not protected speech. The dissenting judge said the officers had a right to voice their complaints since they addressed the performance, functioning and mismanagement of a public agency. -DB Metropolitan News-Enterprise July 14, 2009 By Kenneth Ofgang Complaints by police officers about their supervisors’ conduct are not protected by the First Amendment, the