At their May 20 public meeting, members of the city’s Police Advisory Commission referred requests for access to their Nizah Morris investigative file to the city law department.
Five LGBT advocates attended the meeting and urged transparency in the Morris case.
Morris was a transwoman who was found with a fatal head wound in 2002, shortly after receiving a courtesy ride from Philadelphia police.
Her homicide remains unsolved.
Citing an inefficient local investigation, the PAC issued a report last month that recommended state and federal probes of Morris’ homicide.
But LGBT advocates in attendance said the PAC could help secure the probes by ensuring full transparency on the local level.
So far, the PAC has declined to release its Morris records obtained from the District Attorney’s office, citing a state law that protects open homicide investigations.
In 2008, Common Pleas Judge Jane Cutler Greenspan signed an order granting public access to Morris investigative records in the possession of all city agencies, including the PAC.
PAC secretary Chuck Volz said compliance with that order would be a matter for the city law department to handle.
Volz said he personally supports transparency in the Morris case, but he also noted that the PAC is bound by state laws.
Releasing the D.A.’s Morris records could affect the PAC’s ability to obtain additional investigative records from the D.A. in future cases, Volz added.
LGBT advocate Rich Wilson said the D.A.’s office appears to be hiding facts in the Morris case, rather than properly investigating it.
“I think there’s been minimal transparency in this case,” Wilson told PAC members. “Since 2002, the police and D.A.’s office have been covering up a murder that any other person would not have gotten away with.”
Trans activist Kathleen R. Padilla also spoke in favor of transparency.
“This case smells of cover-up,” Padilla said. “We don’t know exactly what is being covered up, but something is definitely being covered up.”
She pointed to missing 911 transmissions, altered police records, a lost homicide file and the refusal of local authorities to answer any questions about the case.
“The statute of limitations is over for those improprieties, so there cannot be an open investigation for any criminal acts associated with them,” Padilla said.
Trans activist Sheila Colson-Pope said transparency in the Morris case could help improve relations between the police and transgender community.
“The cops see us as faggots in wigs — nothing more, nothing less,” Colson-Pope said. “I know that there are some good cops who really do their jobs. However, there are bad ones also. Get hurt, and see how fast one responds.”
After the meeting, PAC executive director Kelvyn Anderson said he expects the PAC would grant public access to all of its Morris records, if instructed to do so by the city law department.
“I don’t think it would be in our interest to argue against transparency in this case,” Anderson said.
In a related matter, Anderson said he’ll send a letter to Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey shortly, reminding him of his duty to respond to the PAC’s Morris report.
So far, Ramsey hasn’t responded to the report, which also calls for enhanced LGBT training for police cadets and clear policies on “courtesy rides,” the use of cell phones by police personnel and the handling of “hospital cases.”
But, Anderson noted that Ramsey’s legal advisor, Lt. Francis Healy, has been out of state participating in a training program this month.
Padilla thanked PAC members for their efforts.
“I appreciate the PAC’s commitment to completing this case of many, many years, especially given their very limited responsibilities,” Padilla said. “They don’t do criminal investigations. And I’m encouraged that they’re willing to try and work to achieve transparency for the public in this case. We look forward to hearing from [state] Attorney General Kathleen Kane on the status of the investigation.”