The DC Police Union is seeking an injunction that would block Mayor Muriel Bowser from publicly releasing the body-camera footage and names of police officers who have “committed an officer-involved death” in the nearly six years since the camera program’s inception. A new D.C. law mandates that Bowser release the information by Saturday.

“It is disappointing that city leaders have passed a law that intentionally endangers every police officer on this department,” union chairman Greggory Pemberton said in a statement. “Making police work more dangerous is the antithesis of creating a better police department.”

The lawsuit, filed Friday in D.C. Superior Court, calls elements of the recently passed legislation “unlawful.” It also seeks an injunction against a provision requiring Bowser to publicly release camera recordings and officer names within five business days of future incidents in which there are officer-involved deaths or a “serious” use of force.

“Unless and until a restraining order is entered prohibiting Defendants’ unlawful actions, the D.C. Police Union and its members will suffer irreparable harm,” the lawsuit states.

A representative from Bowser’s office said the mayor does not comment on ongoing litigation.

Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, who chairs the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, says he is “at a loss” as to why the union wants to shield officer names in such incidents when police regularly share names and images of suspects.

“Police officers are lawfully allowed to seriously injure or even kill under certain circumstances,” Allen writes in an email to DCist. “Before the Council’s emergency bill passed, the public was rarely given even basic information about what happened in these serious cases.”

Prior to the legislation, the release of body-camera footage was at the mayor’s discretion if deemed in the public interest, the lawsuit notes. With the new law, the suit argues the D.C. Council effectively “usurps the exclusive power of the Mayor” and violates the separation of powers baked into the government structure. In addition, the law’s provisions infringe on a basic right to privacy for both union members and civilians, it says.

The police reform legislation comes amid a national debate over the role of law enforcement in the wake of George Floyd’s killing and protests about police brutality and systemic racism. A string of police chiefs across the region have stepped down in recent weeks and many jurisdictions across the country are enacting measures that restrict the use of force.

This is the second time in a week that the union, which represents more than 3,600 members of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, has sued the District government. On Aug. 5, the union filed a suit against the city over elements in the police reform legislation that may make it simpler for the department to fire officers due to disciplinary issues. As the law blocks the union from negotiating over disciplinary procedures for sworn officers, the union argues police union members are effectively void of protections afforded to thousands of other D.C. government workers.

“At a time when true leadership is needed most, it is unfortunate that we find ourselves having to challenge our elected District leaders for violating the Constitutional rights of our first responders,” Pemberton said in a statement regarding the Aug. 5 lawsuit. “The Council and Mayor, however, have made clear that the current climate prevents them from acting in a reasonable and rational manner, instead requiring blatantly arbitrary legislation to preserve their own political survival.”

In a poll the union conducted with roughly 600 of its members in June, 71% said they were considering leaving the D.C. police force due to the then-proposed reforms.

This post has been updated with comments from Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen.