Indiana police officers in wiretapping case claim libel

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Four South Bend police officers are suing the city, alleging a city council member libeled them during a wiretapping investigation.

The lawsuit alleges Henry Davis Jr. committed libel in a 2012 letter to the Department of Justice accusing the officers of "racially based misconduct" in conversations the city recorded from their department phones.

The South Bend Tribune reports that Davis scoffed at the allegation.

The lawsuit was filed against Davis and the city of South Bend by five officers who contend their conversations were illegally recorded. The four reached a $500,000 settlement with the city in December.

A federal judge is currently determining whether the recordings should be released.

The lawsuits stem from a U.S. Justice Department investigation into the recordings.