crime records Archives - Page 18 of 19 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

13 Mar, 2014

Read Judge Russell Perkins’ ruling in Vanderbilt rape case

By Deborah Fisher|2018-08-06T08:52:38-05:00March 13, 2014|Categories: crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Chancellor Russell Perkins, crime records, law enforcement privilege, The Tennessean, Vanderbilt rape case|1 Comment

Davidson County Chancellor Russell T. Perkins ruled Wednesday that some records in the police file in the Vanderbilt rape case are subject to the Tennessee Public Records Act, including text messages and emails recovered from witnesses or criminal defendants. The ruling rejected an adoption of a law enforcement privilege for pending criminal cases, and said in a footnote that "The Court concludes these text messages are not witness statements that can be shielded from disclosure. Instead, these text messages are memorializations of conduct related to the alleged crime and the alleged cover up." Excerpt: "Taking a case-by-case view as a trial court, the Court concludes that exempting all the records [...]

13 Mar, 2014

The Tennessean: Judge rules some Vanderbilt rape case records are open

By Deborah Fisher|2018-08-06T08:56:31-05:00March 13, 2014|Categories: crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Chancellor Russell Perkins, crime records, open records, The Tennessean, Vanderbilt rape case|0 Comments

This story about the Vanderbilt rape case, written by Tony Gonzalez, was published by The Tennessean on March 12, 2014 and reprinted here with permission. Some records in a high-profile Vanderbilt University rape case should be made available under the Public Records Act, a Davidson County Chancery Court judge ruled Wednesday in response to The Tennessean’s lawsuit against Metro government over access to information. In an 18-page order, Chancellor Russell Perkins ruled that some text messages, emails by witnesses and defendants, and other records given to police by the university were public documents and should be given to a media coalition that sued for access. But those records won’t immediately be provided to [...]

3 Mar, 2014

Metro Pulse write about sex crime secrecy bill

By Deborah Fisher|2019-09-11T16:14:36-05:00March 3, 2014|Categories: crime records, Legislature|Tags: crime records, legislature, Open Records Act exemptions, sexual assault records|0 Comments

Reporter Paige Huntoon writes in Metro Pulse in Knoxville about a bill that would make information about sex crimes secret. She interviews the bill's sponsor, state Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knoxville, as well as the state police chiefs association which brought it to Massey to carry. Also interviewed is Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and the Tennessee Press Association, which is seeking revisions so less information about sex crimes would be secret from the public. Huntoon reports that Massey is open to revising the bill to address concerns. Here is a link to Huntoon's story: "Broadly written sex crimes bill attracts concerns, criticism from press and open-records advocates" [...]

21 Feb, 2014

News Sentinel: Privacy bill of no real help to sexual assault victims

By Deborah Fisher|2014-04-09T16:50:57-05:00February 21, 2014|Categories: crime records, exemptions, Legislature|Tags: crime records, Knoxville News Sentinel, legislature, Open Records Act exemptions, sexual assault records|0 Comments

This editorial was published by the Knoxville News Sentinel on Feb. 16, and reprinted here with permission: A bill that would ostensibly protect the privacy of sexual assault victims in Tennessee would actually endanger criminal prosecutions and do nothing to lessen the anguish of the people it purports to help. The legislation, introduced in the Senate by Knoxville Republican Becky Duncan Massey at the request of Metro Nashville government, would make all records containing virtually any information about a sexual assault victim confidential. “No portion of any report, paper, picture, photograph, video, court file, or other document in the custody or possession of any public officer or employee which identifies [...]

12 Feb, 2014

Tennessean editorial asks “Sexual assault privacy bill: protecting victims or those in power?”

By Deborah Fisher|2014-04-09T16:48:42-05:00February 12, 2014|Categories: crime records, exemptions|Tags: crime records, legislature, Open Records Act exemptions, sexual assault records, The Tennessean|0 Comments

The Tennessean publishes an editorial against proposed legislation that exempts parts of sexual assault crime records from the public records law. The editorial is reprinted here with permission: State legislation backed by Metro Nashville, supposedly to protect the privacy of victims of sexual assault, has many implications for our state, but helping rape victims is not among them. Senate Bill 2254 is first and foremost an attempt to intimidate news media organizations throughout Tennessee, as they pursue a lawsuit against Metro over its refusal to release records in the rape investigation involving former Vanderbilt University football players. The Tennessean is among the news organizations that filed the suit last week. But [...]