Negligent Cops Defamed Them, Couple Say

PHOENIX (CN) – A married couple claims the City of Chandler falsely told their neighbors, and posted on a police Web site, that a sex offender lived at their home, exposing them to hatred and contempt. They say the sex offender gave the police their address as his home, and police never bothered to verify whether he lived there – which he did not.     To make it worse, the couple says, the husband bears a physical resemblance to the sex offender.      They say the police sent out a “community notification” to their neighbors – but not to them – with the false allegation, which they learned of from a neighbor. After the plaintiffs notified Chandler police of the error, they say, it took the cops 17 days to remove the address from the sex offender Web site.     They demand damages for defamation and negligence. They are represented by Emile Harmon of Tempe in Maricopa County Court.