The recent Cyber Dust secret text messaging scandal at the Fresno Unified School District is exposing gaps in California’s public records law.
The app allows users to send confidential text messages that are deleted as soon as they are read. Now open government advocates are asking a big question: Are we entering a new age of government officials using technology to hide from public scrutiny? Continue…
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Read More… from Is technology killing California’s public records law?
A first-of-its-kind, year-long study by the University of South Florida and the Orlando Police Department has found that body-worn cameras are an effective tool for reducing "response-to-resistance incidents" and serious external complaints.
The study, which ran from March 2014 to February, had 46 officers using cameras and compared that with 43 other officers who did not. Continue…
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Read More… from Police body cameras reduce use of force, study finds
Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos plans a third biennial "Transparency Tour."
The tour will stop at 12 locations across the state to discuss Vermont’s public records and open meeting laws with municipal and state employees and citizens who serve on local government boards. Continue…
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Read More… from Vermont Secretary of State plans transparency tour
llinois law says government officials' emails about taxpayer business are public records for all to see. But what if they're sent from private accounts or personal cellphones?
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Read More… from Emails on private devices, FOIA issue goes back to court
Massachusetts State Rep. Dennis Rosa said the introduction of House Bill 3665 — titled “An Act to improve public records” — is attempt to bring Massachusetts up to par with the other states.
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Read More… from Bill would update Massachusetts Public Records Law
Sixteen Minnesota cities have asked the state to declare most information gathered by police bodies cameras in way too many instances as private information.
The reason for the request: The state legislature has been unable to decide what is public information on video and audio gathered by police body cameras, in large part because it is a very complex issue. Continue…
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Read More… from Editorial: Reject request to make all police body camera data private in Minnesota
Public officials' refusal to release the investigative report into the state liquor control agents who bloodied a University of Virginia student in March stands as one of the more blatant examples of government's failure to level with the people about its actions.
But it's hardly the only one. Continue…
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Read More… from Editorial: More reasons to fix Virginia FOIA
The state Office of Open Records Counsel is holding a series of hearings this week about a proposal to make taxpayers pay to inspect public records in Tennessee.
Under current law, government officials can charge for photocopies of public records, but viewing them is free. Records custodians often prohibit citizens from taking pictures or scanning records themselves. Continue…
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Read More… from Hearings planned on proposed changes to Tennessee records laws
In North Carolina, the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau is run on public money, yet details on how the bureau spends a large part of that cash is kept private.
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Read More… from Bonuses, salaries paid by lodging tax private in North Carolina city
A mistake by Iowa defense lawyers enabled the release of an email suggesting the University of Iowa athletics department was determined to hire a female for assistant track coach over qualified male candidates.
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