Lawsuit alleges former Ballwin police chief violated privacy rights

BALLWIN, Missouri – The city of Ballwin and its former police chief are facing a class action lawsuit over the former police chief’s dismissal late last year amid much uncertainty.

The allegations are laid out in a 12-page complaint, according to the Post-Dispatch. The suit accuses former Ballwin Police Chief Doug Schaeffler of misconduct that may have resulted in the violation of people’s privacy.

He was fired in a closed session last December without any explanation from city leaders. Now a class action lawsuit is being filed against Schaeffler and the city of Ballwin.

The Post reports that over a four-year period beginning in 2020, Schaeffler ran more than a thousand names through the Regional Justice Information System, also known as REJIS. Many law enforcement agencies in the St. Louis area use this database. It records all kinds of personal information, from criminal history to driver’s license data.

The Washington Post reports that it is a misdemeanor for a police officer to use REJIS without a proper police purpose, and that former police chief Schaeffler’s colleagues in Ballwin concluded that hundreds of his searches were highly questionable.

The lawsuit alleges that among those searched were people who lived or worked in Ballwin or who were simply speaking at a public meeting in Ballwin.

Clayton attorney Mark Pedroli filed the lawsuit, seeking financial compensation for hundreds of residents whose privacy rights may have been violated.

The lead plaintiff in the case is Kevin Roach, a former Ballwin city councilor who frequently criticized the mayor.

Schaeffler has already filed suit over his firing in December. Neither Schaeffler nor Ballwin City officials have responded to the new class action lawsuit.