Madison — A reporter has filed a federal lawsuit alleging Capitol Police officers violated the U.S. Constitution when they arrested him during a protest.
Philip Dominic Salvia co-hosts “The Devil’s Advocates” talk show. According to the lawsuit he filed Monday, he was in the Capitol rotunda on July 24 when police began arresting demonstrators who had been using the space to sing against Gov. Scott Walker.
The lawsuit said officers arrested him even though he was merely observing the protest as a journalist, in violation of his First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. A judge dismissed Salvia’s $200 ticket in August, but Salvia says police still need to be held accountable.
A spokeswoman for the state Department of Administration, which oversees the Capitol Police, declined to comment.