crime records Archives - Page 7 of 19 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

21 Apr, 2017

Senate approves bill to open TBI records in police-involved shootings

By Deborah Fisher|2017-04-21T10:05:16-05:00April 21, 2017|Categories: crime records|Tags: police shootings, State Sen. Brian Kelsey, State Sen. Lee Harris, TBI|1 Comment

The Senate this week voted 30-0 to make TBI investigative records in police-involved shootings open to the public after the "prosecutorial function" is finished. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has an exemption in the Tennessee Public Records Act that allows it keep its records confidential even after the case is over, but this legislation would create an exception for police-involved shootings. “This is extremely important legislation for Tennessee," said state Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, who signed on to the bill as a co-sponsor and who carried similar legislation last year. (see video) "We need to make this information public to exonerate our law enforcement officers who are at times wrongfully accused [...]

23 Mar, 2017

WATE 6: DA’s request could prevent closure for Gatlinburg fire victims

By Deborah Fisher|2017-03-23T06:30:01-05:00March 23, 2017|Categories: crime records|Tags: Gatlinburg fire, Sevier County, Sevier County District Attorney Jimmy Dunn|0 Comments

From WATE 6 in Knoxville on efforts to get information about the emergency response to the Gatlinburg fire:

21 Mar, 2017

Bill to bring transparency to TBI investigations of police shootings advances

By Deborah Fisher|2017-03-22T07:53:04-05:00March 21, 2017|Categories: crime records, Legislature|Tags: body camera, district attorneys, police shootings, State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, State Rep. Lee Harris, TBI|0 Comments

A bill that would make public the investigative record of TBI investigations of police shootings after the case is over advanced in a House subcommittee today. The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee voted to move the bill to the full committee. State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, is sponsoring the bill, H.B. 277, in the House, and state Sen. Lee Harris, D-Memphis, is the sponsor in the Senate. (S.B. 1039) State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis Currently, some district attorneys in the state say they cannot release the investigative record in a police shooting case, even after the case is over, because of an exemption to the Tennessee Public Records Act [...]

8 Mar, 2017

Body camera bill passes Senate committee

By Deborah Fisher|2017-03-17T11:53:27-05:00March 8, 2017|Categories: crime records, Legislature|Tags: police body cameras, State Sen. Jack Johnson|0 Comments

UPDATE, 3-17-17: The Senate passed Johnson's body cam bill, S.B. 442, on Thursday 27-0. ----- Original story: A bill that would exempt from the state's public records laws police body camera footage collected inside schools, hospitals and, when no crime is being investigated, private residences passed the Senate State & Local Government committee Tuesday. State Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin Two amendments were added to the legislation carried by state Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin. One specifies that "video taken of minors in a school that serves any grades from kindergarten through grade twelve shall be treated as confidential." The other, suggested by Lt. Gov Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, puts a [...]

21 Dec, 2016

Ohio Supreme Court finds delayed release of body camera footage “reasonable”

By Deborah Fisher|2016-12-21T09:49:04-06:00December 21, 2016|Categories: crime records|Tags: Ohio Supreme Court, police body cameras|0 Comments

The Ohio Supreme Court, which recently ruled that not all police records fall under the state's investigatory exemption, ruled this week in a separate case about body camera footage in a police shooting. The court found that the district attorney's release of body camera footage after the indictment of a police officer was reasonable. In all, the district attorney withheld the body camera footage for six business days. Read the ruling. From Cleveland.com: Hamilton County officials were within the law to withhold body camera footage for six business days after a University of Cincinnati police officer fatally shot a man during a traffic stop, the state's highest court ruled Tuesday. But [...]