Police officer sues Ava Duvernay for depiction of interrogation technique used on the Central Park Five

On Monday, TMZ reported that former police officer John Reid is suing director Ava Duvernay over her depiction of the "Reid Technique" used against the young, Black suspects known as the Central Park Five in the Netflix film "When They See Us."

Reid is claiming defamation, insisting that the film's depiction of his methods are wrong.

"You squeezed statements out of them after 42 hours of questioning and coercing, without food, bathroom breaks, withholding parental supervision," said a prosecution staffer to a detective in the movie. "The Reid Technique has been universally rejected. That's truth to you."

Reid denies that his technique calls for withholding parental supervision, and says that it takes extra care with treatment of minors.

Duvernay, for her part, says that "we did our research" into the case. Neither she nor Netflix have commented on the lawsuit.

The wrongful conviction of the Central Park Five, who were accused of raping a New York City jogger and were released after later evidence implicated the real perpetrator, has become a cultural symbol of racial bias in policing.