The Vallejo Police Department has been called one of the most violent law enforcement agencies in the country. By the spring of 2021, it became clear that the department was withholding information from the public regarding the shooting of 22-year-old Sean Monterrosa.

With the help of ProJourn, lawyers from Microsoft and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP joined forces to represent Open Vallejo, a small nonprofit newsroom, which sued the city in September 2021.

Less than two months later, Vallejo disclosed thousands of pages of records relating to the Monterrosa shooting, as well as hours of video and audio recordings. The disclosures helped Open Vallejo expose misconduct and reconstruct drone footage of the shooting that police said had become “corrupted and unreadable” within hours of the killing.

The released documents and Open Vallejo story have attracted the attention of officials with the California Department of Justice, which is overseeing a policy review of the Vallejo Police Department; both houses of Congress; and attorneys who allege evidence was deleted in an ongoing death penalty case.

“Detectives kept referring to files I had never seen before, and had not been disclosed,” said Laurence Du Sault, Open Vallejo’s investigative reporter.

“Pro bono legal assistance can be the only way to enforce the public’s right to know — especially when you’re a three-person investigative newsroom.”

Following 18 months of reporting by Open Vallejo, Vallejo moved to fire the detective who killed Monterrosa. It was the first known firing of a Vallejo police officer for a fatal shooting in the department’s 121-year history.

The city is still withholding entire case files for some of its most controversial killings by officers. Open Vallejo’s lawsuit is ongoing.

“The community deserves the whole truth,” Du Sault said.