A new lawsuit filed against the Washington State Patrol accuses some of its members of distributing a deepfake AI video depicting a gay police officer kissing another colleague.
Lawyers for the officer say he is gay and his rights have been violated by the Washington State Patrol in this and other cases.
What they are saying:
The officer works in Western Washington and has been with the department for 19 years. His lawyer said the officer had been harassed several times during his career and called the lawsuit a courageous step.
“It is deeply concerning that such conduct is occurring in the workplace,” the lawyer said.
The disturbing allegations are detailed in a complaint filed by Washington State Patrol Officer Colin Pearson about what he says happened to him.
“He has been discriminated against in the workplace because of his sexual orientation,” said Mark Conrad, Pearson's lawyer.
A Washington state police car spotted in Seattle, Washington. (FOX13 Seattle)
Conrad said Pearson has been subjected to constitutional violations that include what he calls the weaponization of technology.
“Just recently, a deepfake AI video was created that falsely depicted him intimately kissing another officer,” Conrad said. “This video appears to be circulating within the Washington State Patrol.”
Conrad said the fake image shows Pearson in uniform with a Washington State Patrol vehicle in the background.
“I hear voices saying, 'This is SWAT training, not homosexuals,'” Conrad said.
Conrad said this video is not the first incident his client has been involved in. He said Pearson attempted to resign from the Des Moines Police Department in early 2023 after receiving a job offer from the agency.
Conrad said the Des Moines Police Chief called him and told him that Pearson should not be hired. The offer was subsequently rescinded.
A few months later, Conrad said Pearson took several days of approved sick leave from the Washington State Patrol. The complaint states that before his next shift, Pearson “inadvertently overslept after his phone went off all night and failed to notify his supervisor that he would be absent from work.”
The complaint alleges that officers were dispatched to Pearson's home, where someone opened the door, entered without permission or consent, woke Pearson up and questioned him.
“WSP officers then dispatched officers from the Ruston Police Department to conduct additional checks,” Conrad said. “This will be a full-fledged internal investigation, and it will be for being absent from work.”
What's next:
Conrad said the findings will be important in determining how widespread the alleged conduct is within the Washington State Patrol as the case progresses.
“We hope that this is exactly what we are trying to uncover through this lawsuit,” Conrad said.
The Washington State Patrol responded to the lawsuit through spokesman Chris Loftis, saying the agency believes all employees are valued for their skills, abilities and dignity and have the right to work in an environment free of bias, harassment and intimidation.
Regarding the lawsuit, Loftis said that by policy and practice, the Washington State Patrol does not comment on pending litigation.
Conrad said he hopes the discovery will reveal who created the deepfake videos when they are discovered.
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source: Information for this article was obtained from the Washington State Patrol and Mark Conrad, the attorney representing Officer Colin Pearson.
