An attorney with the ACLU of Colorado said the organization is considering suing the Longmont Housing Authority over unwarranted searches its staff allowed police to conduct in May.

On Wednesday, Longmont officials released an investigation report into the unwarranted searches at The Suites, a permanent supportive housing complex managed by LHA.

The report contained interviews with LHA officials who are no longer employed with the quasi-governmental organization, residents of The Suites and the police officers who showed up to search apartments with K-9 dogs.

The report detailed how former LHA director of operations Krystal Winship Erazo contacted Longmont police officers and asked them to bring their K-9 dogs by The Suites for routine inspections. In the report, Erazo admitted that there were some terse discussions with residents, and in some cases she waived officers in, when a resident wasn't at home.

Erazo is no longer employed with the Longmont Housing Authority, executive director Michael Reis said Thursday.

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While the city and police department admitted that the searches were against policy and officials apologized to residents an d gave out a $210,000 settlement to four residents, the Longmont Housing Authority has not officially acknowledged responsibility.

David Herrera, LHA's attorney, released a n internal investigation summary in July in which he blamed the Longmont police for not knowing better.

ACLU Attorney Rebecca Wallace said in November that the ACLU has filed a notice of claim against the LHA but had not heard a response. A notice of claim gives a governmental agency a chance to respond before a lawsuit is filed.

Wallace said Friday that the ACLU had still not heard from the LHA and after reading the Weld County report, she was even more convinced that the LHA shared at least equal responsibility for the searches.

"The report clearly showed that LHA officials invited the officers in, took no steps to inform the residents that there would be a police presence with K-9s and that people felt threatened with eviction and in at least two cases, residents were not even home at the time of the searches," Wallace said.

Wallace said the LHA needed to be held accountable for the May searches.

"Accountability is badly needed and I strongly suspect that the ACLU will be the ones to hold LHA accountable in the near future," she said, adding that the ACLU is "fairly far along" in their internal processes for the preceding steps to filing a lawsuit against the LHA.

Reis responded to a request for comment on a potential lawsuit by saying that "it would be inappropriate for the LHA to comment to the media on any pending legal action."

Karen Antonacci: 303-684-5226, antonaccik@times-call.com or twitter.com/ktonacci