police records – Page 3 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Judge denies MLive FOIA request for Grand Rapids police phone calls

Posted on

A judge has rejected MLive's request that the city of Grand Rapids release recorded phones calls of police investigating a former Kent County prosecutor's crash.

MLive and the Grand Rapids Press sought recordings of five telephone calls on a phone designated non-recorded.

The calls involved fired Lt. Matt Janiskee talking to an officer, Adam Ickes, who described former prosecutor Josh Kuiper as "hammered," and to Sgt. Thomas Warwick, who drove Kuiper home after the Nov. 19 crash.

[…]

Texas police withheld records of their son’s death. Now they know why

Posted on

Even in the dark days following their son’s death, the Dyers tended to believe the police. Why wouldn’t they? Kathy, a civil engineer, and Robert, a teacher, were solid citizens.

And yet, they wondered: What were those marks on his arms — “chicken feet” scratches, Robert called them. Or what to make of the emergency room doctor’s notes saying it appeared Graham had been the victim of an assault? Seeking answers, the couple asked the Mesquite Police Department for their records of what happened that night.

[…]

St. Louis Police Must Release Internal Affairs Records to the Public, Court Finds

Posted on

A circuit court judge has ruled that the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department broke the law in refusing to make officer conduct complaints available to the public — and must "permanently" stop concealing those records going forward.

[…]

VT: Judge agrees court records in murder case can’t be hidden

Posted on

Crime scene photographs and the 911 emergency call reporting a homicide and an attempted homicide in Franklin County last month must remain available for the public to inspect and hear, a Vermont Superior Court judge has ruled.

[…]

Greensboro, NC group demands release of info in case of former police officer

Posted on

A newly-formed group is demanding that the Greensboro City Council release all remaining documents in a police misconduct case.

About two dozen members of GSO Operation Transparency, which identifies itself as a “multiracial, intergenerational group of concerned Greensboro residents,” said Tuesday that it wants the full investigative file and all relating written and electronic correspondence in the case of former Greensboro Police Officer Travis Cole released by noon on Jan. 11.

[…]

CT: Hearing officer says state police policy on arrest records violated FOI law

Posted on

An attorney for the Freedom of Information Commission has tentatively ruled that state police violated the state’s Freedom of Information Act when the agency required written permission from a prosecutor for the release of documents while a case was pending prosecution.

Hearing Officer Lisa Fein Siegel found in her Nov. 9 report, stemming from a complaint from the Record-Journal, that the law enforcement agency’s policy violated state law regarding the release of arrest records during pending prosecution.

[…]

Dallas police don’t want to release bomb robot data, claim information is ’embarrassing’

Posted on

When the Dallas police used a bomb robot to kill a suspect who had shot and killed five police officers and wounding nine others, it set a controversial precedent that raised questions about the procedures and practices the police had followed to determine whether to use a remote detonation explosive. Multiple journalists filed Freedom of Information Act requests to learn more about the police’s decision-making process.

[…]

California Legislator wants to shine light on law enforcement after killing bill to open police records

Posted on

A state senator wants Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris to tell the Legislature how to deal with what he called a “prevalent crisis” in the public trust of law enforcement.

[…]

Editorial: Another test for public access to police records in California

Posted on

Legislation that would grant the public access to records of police misconduct and use of force faces its next test Monday in a state Senate committee.

Sen. Mark Leno’s SB 1286 is our favorite open-government bill in Sacramento this year, the one we endorsed during Sunshine Week because it would shed light on instances of police misconduct that are generally concealed from public view.

[…]

After Ferguson, cities face a body-cam dilemma

Posted on

American cities rushed to provide police departments with body cameras, spurred by public outcry over shooting incidents in Ferguson, Mo., and elsewhere.

Having moved fast, however, cities are now running into friction, often from within their own ranks. Opponents of the contract arrangements say officials may have cut corners by signing no-bid deals, by not testing options thoroughly or by becoming too cozy with vendors.

[…]