Public Records Archives - Page 32 of 74 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

21 Apr, 2017

Body camera footage inside schools, hospitals would be exempt under bill headed to governor

By Deborah Fisher|2017-04-24T10:01:00-05:00April 21, 2017|Categories: crime records, Legislature|Tags: police body cameras|0 Comments

Body camera footage inside hospitals and schools would be exempt under the legislation. Legislation that would exempt some body camera footage from the Tennessee Public Records Act is headed to the governor's desk for signature. The House and the Senate passed legislation that would make confidential footage shot inside health care facilities, schools, and inside homes in some instances. Here is what the bill lists as exempt: (1) Video taken by a law enforcement body camera that depicts the following shall be treated as confidential and not subject to public inspection: (A) Minors, when taken within a school that serves any grades from kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12); [...]

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 [...]

12 Apr, 2017

5 things to watch in public records policies

By Deborah Fisher|2017-04-12T11:29:39-05:00April 12, 2017|Categories: requests|Tags: fee waivers, meeting agendas, meeting minutes, model public records policy, photos of public records, public records policies, public records request coordinator, public records requests|0 Comments

To influence government, citizens must have access to information. In Tennessee, an important safeguard to that access is the state’s public records law. But sometimes that law gets ignored or flouted, and government entities create rules or habits that make it hard, confusing or downright impossible for citizens to access public records in a timely way. Last year, lawmakers took a step in the right direction toward encouraging compliance with the Tennessee Public Records Act, and passed a law that requires every government entity in the state to establish a public records policy by July 1. The public records policies must outline the process for citizens to make public records [...]

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 [...]