Wilmington may lose out on $1.5 million allocated by Delaware lawmakers for fighting crime if city officials fail to tell them where police officers are being assigned. Lawmakers and Attorney General Matt Denn are still waiting for a response, putting the cash in limbo more than a week since the funding was approved.
[…]
Read More… from Wilmington not responsive to police inquiry in Delaware
We have the right to know what our government is up to. It's the law.
But public officials in New Jersey have been finding new ways to avoid complying with sunshine laws and open-government advocates fear this may have a chilling effect on holding the powerful accountable.
Among recent examples:
[…]
Read More… from How some New Jersey officials try to keep public in the dark
In response to the conviction of former New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos on multiple federal corruption charges, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared on Friday that the state legislature "must stop standing in the way of needed reforms."
Only a few hours later he vetoed two bills designed to speed and reform Freedom of Information Law response and require the state to pay court costs incurred by FOIL users whose requests a judge finds have been improperly denied.
[…]
Dog catchers, school board members, county commissioners, governors — all politicians run for public office swearing up and down they’ll stand against government secrecy — they’ll swear your right to be informed about the people and processes that govern you will not be infringed on their watch.
And then they win election.
[…]
Read More… from Editorial: Brownback vs. Transparency in Kansas
In a push to expose the billionaires trying to influence elections, advocacy groups filed complaints Thursday against 18 television stations that aired ads for the Independence USA PAC.
[…]
Read More… from Transparency groups target Bloomberg PAC in long-shot bid to unmask donors
Body cameras are about accountability. They are good for citizens and they are good for police officers.
Especially important in the wake of recent encounters that resulted in death, officers who wear body cameras can provide greater accountability to the people they protect — and at the same time protect themselves from false accusations.
[…]
Everyone likes first steps. It shows progress. It shows a willingness to move ahead and find better answers.
It's how babies learn to walk and then run.
But before anyone gets warm and giggly with Waukegan's $1 million purchase of body cameras for all its officers, time to read the small print. Continue…
———————
[…]
Read More… from Editorial: Cop cams are a start, but watch for the fine print
The City of Champaign and the Champaign Police Department has released several documents to the public in response to several inquiries regarding the department's Use of Force policy, litigation, and Freedom of Information Act requests regarding a Champaign Police officer.
[…]
Read More… from Champaign officials release documents related to use of force FOIA requests
Press Release — The drafters of New Jersey's Open Public Records Act wisely required records custodians, absent a good reason, to either grant or deny access to requested records within seven business days. Without a hard deadline, records requests could be stalled indefinitely.
[…]
The Kentucky Court of Appeals has upheld a ruling that the state Cabinet for Families and Children “improperly and willfully” denied a newspaper’s request for records in a child abuse death and must pay damages.
In an order Friday, the appeals court ordered the cabinet to pay the Todd County Standard newspaper nearly $10,000 in attorney fees and more than $6,000 in fines for violating the state Open Records Act.
[…]
Read More… from Kentucky cabinet ordered to pay fines for open records violations
