police records

2 May, 2022

Journalist sues Memphis to gain access to police performance improvement plans

By |2022-05-05T14:09:42-05:00May 2, 2022|Categories: Public Records|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Marc Perrusquia, a journalist whose reporting has exposed problems in the Memphis police department, has filed a lawsuit challenging the city's denial of access to documents that would show how the city responded to a history of trouble with three officers.

29 Apr, 2019

Sociology professor studying immigration files public records suit against Knox County sheriff

By |2020-11-19T12:41:58-06:00April 29, 2019|Categories: crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

A sociology professor who researches immigration enforcement has filed a public records lawsuit against the Knox County Sheriff, claiming the office has repeatedly violated the law in denying and delaying access to public records. Meghan Conley has made a series of requests over the past 19 months for records related to the sheriff's office's 287(g) program that started almost two years ago. Meghan Conley, a sociology professor at University of Tennessee, has filed a public records lawsuit against the Knox County Sheriff after making a series of public records request related to immigration enforcement. Under the 287(g) program, the Knox County Sheriff's Office is authorized by U.S. Immigration and Customs [...]

13 Dec, 2016

Ohio Supreme Court rules dash cam videos are public records

By |2016-12-13T10:44:23-06:00December 13, 2016|Categories: crime records|Tags: , , |0 Comments

In ruling that rejects a blanket investigatory exemption for police records, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled last week that dash cam video is in general a public record, subject to redactions. The ruling has no legal effect in Tennessee, but is relevant because it deals with some of the same legal issues that have arisen in disputes with police here about what should be available to the public under the Tennessee Public Records Act. Some police departments refuse to release incident reports, saying they are part of the investigatory file. Currently, access to body cam footage is under study. In Ohio, the Cincinnati Inquirer in 2015 requested dash cam video [...]

26 Apr, 2016

15 decisions on public records by the Tennessee Legislature in 2016

By |2018-11-09T08:23:32-06:00April 26, 2016|Categories: court records, crime records, exemptions, fees, Legislature, Office of Open Records Counsel, requests|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

This year, Tennessee lawmakers punted on public records bills that could have created new access rights to see police body camera video and files of finished investigations into officer-involved shootings. But they did pass several new laws — some that exempted more government information from public view, and others that hold promise for improving government transparency. Following is a roundup of action by the Tennessee Legislature related to public records and access. 1- Police body cameras: After a late-in-session effort to pass a body camera bill and disagreement among stakeholders, the House State Government Committee instructed the Advisory Committee on Open Government to study the issue and provide them with [...]

22 Aug, 2015

Police records shed light on use of lethal force in Memphis

By |2016-01-06T09:21:13-06:00August 22, 2015|Categories: crime records|Tags: , , |0 Comments

The Commercial Appeal published a story yesterday that examined 22 shooting deaths of suspects by Memphis police since 2009. It is a clear example of how access to public records can shed light on local government operations,  providing citizens and community leaders support and information for better understanding and tackling a problem. The sheer volume of people shot and killed by Memphis police over a period of five years might be startling, but the Commercial Appeal went farther with its analysis after poring through police records, including video from a home surveillance camera showing an officer shooting an unarmed suspect in the back as he fled. From the story, "CA Investigation: [...]

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