Public Records Archives - Page 28 of 74 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

19 Oct, 2017

League of Women Voters of Tennessee asks Open Records Counsel to allow common sense use of everyday technology

By Deborah Fisher|2017-12-06T08:08:11-06:00October 19, 2017|Categories: Public Records|Tags: League of Women Voters, photos of public records|1 Comment

The League of Women Voters of Tennessee has submitted a letter to Open Records Counsel Lee Pope, saying it was dismayed by the Office's interpretation of the state's public records laws that is encouraging governments to ban the use of cell phones to make copies of public records. The League, which has a seat on the Advisory Committee on Open Government that was set up to advise the Open Records Counsel, has chapters throughout the state. The letter was written by its president, Marian Ott. The Oct. 13. letter: RE: Policy Banning Photos of Public Records Dear Mr. Pope, The League of Women Voters of Tennessee was dismayed by your [...]

19 Oct, 2017

Tennessee Press Association calls on Open Records Counsel to ease ban on taking photos of public records

By Deborah Fisher|2017-10-19T16:45:02-05:00October 19, 2017|Categories: Office of Open Records Counsel, Public Records|Tags: Advisory Committee on Open Government, Jack McElroy, Lee Pope, photos of public records, Tennessee Press Association|0 Comments

The Tennessee Press Association, writing on behalf of its 125 member newspapers, has requested that the Office of Open Records Counsel update its Model Public Records Policy to reflect that government entities "cannot ban carte blanche the taking of pictures of public records by cell phone cameras." Lee Pope, the state's new Open Records Counsel. The office, which was created by the Legislature in 2008 to provide educational outreach on the public records laws, included in its Model Public Records Policy this model language, with a choice for government entities: A requestor will [not] be allowed to make copies of records with personal equipment. [Indicate under what circumstances, [...]

16 Oct, 2017

Delaying access to public records violates law, appeals court rules

By Deborah Fisher|2020-04-09T09:09:02-05:00October 16, 2017|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: attorneys' fees, Bradley Jetmore, Doug Pierce, Judge Andy Bennett, Metro Nashville, promptly, public records request, traffic accident reports|1 Comment

Government entities cannot ignore the requirement in the Tennessee Public Records Act to provide access to records promptly and still be in compliance with the law, according to an appellate court ruling last week in Jetmore v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Court of Appeals Judge Andy Bennett In the opinion delivered by Judge Andy D. Bennett, the court upheld a trial court's finding against the Metro Nashville Police Department, which had limited the number of traffic accident reports it would provide a requester to three a day. The appellate court also upheld the award of attorney's fees to the requester who brought the lawsuit, saying [...]

11 Oct, 2017

Resource: The state law that gives citizens the right to make photographs of public records

By Deborah Fisher|2017-10-11T08:36:01-05:00October 11, 2017|Categories: Public Records|Tags: photos of public records|1 Comment

I often get questions from citizens about whether a government entity can prohibit them from taking a picture of a public record. Often the person just wants to use their cell phone instead of copying down into their notebook, word for word, what is in the government document. Sometimes the law gets ignored or flouted. So I've copied and pasted the law here about making photographs of public records. You may need to print it out and give it to the custodian to help educate them. Remember, the law trumps a local policy or practice. T.C.A. 10-7-506 (a) In all cases where any person has the right to inspect any [...]

5 Oct, 2017

Memphis mayor proposes new open data policy

By Deborah Fisher|2017-10-05T10:53:43-05:00October 5, 2017|Categories: open data|Tags: Jim Strickland, Memphis, open data|0 Comments

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says he wants "to take our transparency to a new level" with a new open data policy. Through the end of October, the mayor's office is asking for feedback on the draft policy. Here is an excerpt: CITY OF MEMPHIS OPEN DATA POLICY Jim Strickland, mayor of Memphis I. Purpose The City of Memphis is committed to expanding the data it makes available to the public and providing the tools for understanding and interpretation of the data. To realize this commitment, this Open Data Policy sets forth the principles for the Memphis Open Data Program and establishes the Data Governance Committee. The Data Governance [...]