Members of the Sons of Silence motorcycle club filed a lawsuit Friday alleging Aurora police officers subjected them to harassment and intimidation during traffic stops.
The eight men say officers did not have legitimate reasons for pulling them over after a Halloween party last year, according to a suit filed in U.S. District Court.
The suit says the stops were made to gather information for a database of criminal intelligence files, allegedly compiled by police about motorcycle clubs and their members.
A police spokeswoman declined comment and referred questions to the city attorney, who could not be reached after hours.
During the stops, the men were asked where they had been or where they were going, but tickets were not issued, the lawsuit said. In one stop, a ticket with no violation was allegedly given. In another, a man was questioned about his tattoos and asked, in front of his wife and children, if marijuana was in his truck, the lawsuit said.
The suit said the actions violated the men's rights and the surveillance files threatened free speech, assembly and other constitutional rights.
Two officers were named in the suit, along with the Aurora Police Department and the city of Aurora. City spokeswoman Kim Stuart Abell said city officials had not seen the suit and could not comment.
The suit - brought by club members John Bagby, Benjamin Belcher, Pat VanDoren, Ron Eenhuis, Nick Gallegos, Paul Pfeifer and Sye Walker - seeks unspecified damages.