Memphis Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

15 Jun, 2018

Are addresses and phone numbers in accident reports confidential?

By Deborah Fisher|2020-11-19T12:31:06-06:00June 15, 2018|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: attorney's fees, Bradley Jetmore, Doug Pierce, Memphis, traffic accident reports|0 Comments

Are address and phone numbers in accident reports confidential? A Memphis judge on June 6 said no in Bradley Jetmore v. City of Memphis, affirming that such information is public record and should be accessible to the public. The case originated after the City of Memphis in November 2017 stopped allowing public access to the reports and specifically to the driver information in the report. Doug Pierce with King & Ballow Memphis, like other cities, have for years provided public access to accident reports. But in October 2017, it was sued in federal court (Price v. City of Memphis), alleging that it was violating the federal Driver Privacy Protection [...]

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 [...]

28 Jul, 2017

Appeals Court: Records in Memphis police chief search not public

By Deborah Fisher|2020-02-23T10:10:18-06:00July 28, 2017|Categories: functional equivalent, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Chancellor Walter Evans, functional equivalent, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Judge Arnold Goldin, Judge Kenny Armstrong, Judge Richard Dinkins, Memphis, Memphis Publishing Co. v. Cherokee, Memphis Publishing Co. v. City of Memphis, Mike Rallings, police chief applications, The Commercial Appeal|0 Comments

The Court of Appeals ruled this week that applications sent to a police association charged with interviewing and identifying finalists for a new Memphis police chief last year do not have to be released under the state's public records law. The International Association of Chiefs of Police was contracted by the city of Memphis for $40,000 to conduct a search for a new director of police, identify and interview semifinalists and "recommend a group (approximately six) of the most highly qualified candidates for further on-site evaluation." Last summer, a reporter with The Commercial Appeal requested to see all applications, noting he was "primarily interested in the finalists," but the city [...]

7 Sep, 2016

Memphis Bar Association to host deep dive into Darrius Stewart police shooting case

By Deborah Fisher|2017-03-21T16:58:45-05:00September 7, 2016|Categories: crime records, Open Courts, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Amy Weirich, Darrius Stewart, Lucian Pera, Memphis, Memphis Bar Association, Memphis Police, police shootings, public records training, Roy L. Austin Jr.|0 Comments

The Memphis Bar Association is hosting "Covering Police-Involved Shootings: A Deep Dive into the Darrius Stewart Case" on Sept. 28 as part of a daylong program bringing together journalists, lawyers and policymakers. Participants will have an opportunity to hear and interact with lawyers, judges, prosecutors and reporters who were involved in the Stewart case or covered it. Roy L. Austin Jr. Roy Austin Jr., deputy assistant to President Obama and Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs, Justice, and Opportunity, will be the keynote speaker at lunch and share a national and policy perspective on police shootings. Later in the day, veteran reporters and lawyers will [...]

23 Feb, 2016

Memphis mayor says body cam video cannot be released if part of investigation

By Deborah Fisher|2016-02-24T10:26:26-06:00February 23, 2016|Categories: crime records|Tags: crime records, Mayor Jim Strickland, Memphis, police body cameras|0 Comments

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland. Click on picture to see the full Fox13 report. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland told Memphis TV journalist Greg Coy that video footage from body cam video cannot be released if the event it records is under investigation. The quote came during a story by Coy on the whether citizens will have access to video footage created by body cameras. "By law, it can't be revealed just like a paper document that is evidence. All evidence, whether it is a gun, whether it is a paper or whether it is video, if it is under investigation it cannot be released,” Mayor Strickland said. From the story: The city [...]