News Release for Immediate Release January 10, 2006 LexisNexis and Westlaw Will Publish Decisions Issued by the Office of Police Complaints (Cont.)   The inclusion of OPC's decisions in these two online databases presents several opportunities for the agency. The rulings will help educate the public about police misconduct issues affecting the District, which, in turn, will help increase the accountability of both OPC and MPD. In addition, complaint examiners will now be able to research previous OPC decisions using keywords and search terms. Citizen complainants, subject officers, and their attorneys will also be able to access this information. In the long run, OPC expects this will enhance the consistency of the agency's adjudication of police misconduct complaints. "The availability of the agency's determinations of cases through the LexisNexis and Westlaw legal databases will lead to the development of a substantial body of police accountability law in the District of Columbia for the first time," according to Philip K. Eure, executive director of OPC. "By facilitating access to OPC's decisions, the public and MPD ultimately benefit." Both LexisNexis and Westlaw will carry all of OPC's complaint examiner rulings dating back to the agency's first decision in April 2003. These decisions are, and will continue to be available, on the agency's website, policecomplaints.dc.gov. Page 2 of 2      1  2