law enforcement information – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Massachusetts police abuse exemption in public-records law, reform panel is told

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A number of exemptions allow public agencies to keep secret routine documents that are easily accessible in most other states. Now, for the first time in more than four decades, Massachusetts lawmakers are in the midst of revamping the state’s weak public records law. As part of the overhaul, a state working group has been charged with reviewing and evaluating the way in which law enforcement agencies have used public records exemptions and will recommend changes to the Legislature by year’s end.

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Va.: Data show that nearly 80 percent of those stopped by city police are black

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Official reports released recently reveal that black people accounted for nearly 80 percent of those stopped by Charlottesville police so far this year.

On Wednesday, results of a Freedom of Information request revealed that there have been 97 stops this year — as of Oct. 15. Of those stops, 74 involved individuals who were black, while 22 involved people who were white. One individual’s race was listed as “unknown.”

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New Challenges to Secrecy That Protects Police Files

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A case headed for a Staten Island courtroom on Thursday that seeks to unlock grand jury evidence in the police killing of Eric Garner is part of a national push to pry from law enforcement information long kept secret.

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