investigative exemption

18 May, 2023

Sen. Gardenhire, Tennessean file public records lawsuits; Covenant parents seek to intervene

By |2023-05-19T11:39:51-05:00May 18, 2023|Categories: crime records, investigative exemption, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

The fight over the release of the Covenant School shooter's manifesto and other writings escalated Wednesday with state Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, and The Tennessean filing a public records lawsuit against Metro Nashville, and unnamed Covenant School parents filing motions to intervene in the current cases. Also, Assistant Police Chief Mike Hagar and police Lt. Brent Gibson filed declarations that police are still trying to determine if the shooter had any assistance planning the shooting or purchasing the weapons, with Gibson stating that it will take about 12 months to finish the investigation.

19 Aug, 2019

Court of Appeals reins in state’s expansive use of investigative exemption

By |2019-08-19T20:25:15-05:00August 19, 2019|Categories: investigative exemption, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: , , , , , , , |1 Comment

The Tennessee Court of Appeals in a ruling on Friday put much-needed limits around the so-called investigative exemption that has been used by the state to cloak otherwise public records. "We hold that public records created in the ordinary course of business, which are non-investigative in nature, and which are otherwise accessible by Tennessee citizens under the TPRA (Tennessee Public Records Act), do not subsequently become exempt from disclosure because of the initiation of a criminal investigation in which those records become relevant," the Court ruled in Scripps Media, Inc. v. Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Williams requested travel, other ordinary public records from state News [...]

6 Aug, 2018

NewsChannel 5 files suit after denied access to Jason Locke travel reimbursement records

By |2018-08-06T08:46:08-05:00August 6, 2018|Categories: investigative exemption, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

NewsChannel 5 has filed a public records lawsuit after it was denied access to travel reimbursement and phone records related to former acting TBI director Jason Locke's alleged affair with another state official. Jason Locke, former acting director of the TBI. A public records request for his travel reimbursements was denied on the basis that Locke was under criminal investigation. Locke is being investigated for misuse of state funds during an affair with another state official. The Nashville news station's chief investigative reporter Phil Williams also was denied access to email communications between Locke and the official, Sejal West, who was the deputy commission of the Tennessee Department of [...]

30 Jun, 2017

7-month quest for Gatlinburg fire records reflects poorly on state transparency

By |2018-08-06T08:50:37-05:00June 30, 2017|Categories: investigative exemption, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: , , , , , |4 Comments

The November 2016 Gatlinburg fire killed 14 people and cost millions of dollars in damages. It was one of Tennessee’s worst disasters. A central question remains: Why did state and local officials wait so long to order an evacuation, until after the fire had already swept into residential areas? Some who lived through last-minute escapes have told news reporters that they had called 911 and were instructed it was safe to stay put. The answer to the evacuation question, and many others, could lay in the communication records and other post-fire reports held by state and local officials. But almost as soon as news organizations and citizens started requesting to [...]

3 Feb, 2017

DA’s shutdown of public records on Gatlinburg fire goes too far

By |2018-08-06T08:51:44-05:00February 3, 2017|Categories: investigative exemption, Public Records|Tags: , , , , , |1 Comment

On Dec. 15, the district attorney for Sevier County issued a remarkable letter. In the most horrific disaster to ever afflict Gatlinburg, a firestorm on Nov. 28 swept into the city, killed 14 people, caused 191 injuries, and amid harrowing escapes to safety, damaged or destroyed 2,400 structures. Insurance claims have neared $1 billion. A woman looks over the rubble of her home in Gatlinburg on Dec. 3 (Source: Knoxville News Sentinel) But how government responded to the emergency — or in fact anything related to the Gatlinburg fire and the aftermath — is, in Sevier County District Attorney Jimmy Dunn’s opinion, part of a criminal investigation into [...]

Go to Top