A State Supreme Court judge has temporarily blocked the public release of individual disciplinary records for Buffalo Police and Buffalo firefighters for allegations that are pending or unsubstantiated. Hon. Frank Sedita III issued the decision Friday after the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association and the Buffalo Professional Firefighters Association filed a claim Wednesday saying that the […]
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Since the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25th, the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) has fielded about ten times its normal four to five monthly requests from community groups and municipalities on establishing new police oversight bodies. At the same time, dozens more local governments are puzzling […]
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UPDATE: Watch the a recording June 19, 2020 For Immediate Release Contact: Daniel Bevarly, Executive Director dbevarly@nfoic.org 239.823.1811 The National Freedom of Information Coalition and the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information present a conversation about police transparency reforms. The two organizations have called for more public oversight and transparency among the nation’s law enforcement agencies starting with opening every aspect […]
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The King County Sheriff’s Office recently got a much-deserved slap on the wrist for sharing inaccurate information with the public and the press and not correcting it in a timely manner. After the June 14, 2017, fatal shooting of 20-year-old Tommy Le by a deputy, the law enforcement agency told the press and the public […]
Read More… from Editorial: Clear communication from law enforcement is crucial
Public safety legislation authored by California State Assembly member Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) to demilitarize law enforcement, build better police and community relations, and promote government transparency passed the State Assembly Saturday and will head to the State Senate. Todd Gloria spoke to Jason Austell about the bill. “Law enforcement, government, and the public are the foundation of every […]
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The Fort Collins City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to release some records related to the city’s police chief recruitment process after a lawsuit from conservative group Judicial Watch. The group “uses the open records or freedom of information laws and other tools to investigate and uncover misconduct by government officials and litigation to hold to […]
A letter from Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery to the region’s police departments spells out, apparently for the first time, a system that puts the prosecutor’s office in control of whether police records are released to the public or withheld. It warns of financial consequences for police departments that don’t comply. The letter, obtained by The Arizona Republic, makes no direct mention […]
Read More… from Arizona: Maricopa County attorney seeks to usurp police control of records, video
The Washington Post editorial board wrote this morning (21) praising the “rigor and openness” of D.C. police internal trial board proceedings, concluding “it’s good that the D.C. police department recognized the importance of transparency, and that it has moved to hold accountable the officer whose actions caused what was determined to be an unnecessary death.” Sounds good? But […]
Aurora has agreed to revise its policies on the disclosure of police internal affairs records as part of a lawsuit settlement, but a new court case alleges the city wrongly withheld body-worn camera footage related to a traffic accident involving Denver Police Chief Robert White. The Denver Police Protective Association, which represents Denver officers, sued […]
A local advocacy group is calling on the city to improve transparency in the police department following the publication of body camera footage in February that shows a white former Asheville police officer beating a black city resident. “For our city to move forward from this tragic incident, we need to talk about solutions,” Patrick Conant, a […]
