public records requests Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

3 Feb, 2020

Hamilton County’s destruction of public records should set off fire alarms

By Deborah Fisher|2020-06-05T14:19:19-05:00February 3, 2020|Categories: Public Records, records management|Tags: county public records commission, Dana Beltramo, email, Hamilton County, Hamilton County Attorney Rheubin Taylor, Hamilton County Commmissioner Randy Fairbanks, public records requests, records retention policy, Times Free Press|1 Comment

Hamilton County Attorney Rheubin Taylor refused to allow inspection of its responses to public records requests without the Times Free Press paying more than $700. His office later got permission to destroy the records being requested by the newspaper, even as the newspaper continued to press to see them. Hamilton County government has found a new way to prevent access to public records: get rid of them. It’s not really new. It’s the oldest trick in the book. In late July last year, a reporter with the Chattanooga Times Free Press became concerned that the county government was not following state law in its responses to public records requests. So [...]

19 Dec, 2019

Public records case against Knox County sheriff showcases thorny problems for requesters

By Deborah Fisher|2019-12-19T14:52:48-06:00December 19, 2019|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee, requests|Tags: Chancellor John Weaver, Knox County Sheriff, Meghan Conley, public records requests|1 Comment

A public records lawsuit filed in April against Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler appears to be lurching slowly toward resolution. After two days of a bench trial on Dec. 9 and Dec. 10, Knox County Chancellor John F. Weaver gave attorneys until Jan. 13 to file final briefs and set Jan. 24 as the day for final arguments before the court. The case, Meghan Conley v. Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler, concerns several public records requests between August 2017 and March 2019. (See also the Memo in Support of Petition.) Conley, a University of Tennessee sociology professor, sought records related to the sheriff's participation in a 287(g) immigration enforcement program with [...]

16 Aug, 2018

Why requiring a driver’s license to look at public records is often a waste of time and money

By Deborah Fisher|2018-08-17T16:26:29-05:00August 16, 2018|Categories: requests|Tags: citizen id, public records requests|0 Comments

Requiring a driver's license as an unbending condition to access public records is like hunting dragonflies with a shotgun. It’s overkill. And a little silly. Requiring a citizen to produce identification is almost always unnecessary yet it most certainly increases the chance that access to public records will be delayed. It also is a rule that is easy for a government official to abuse to blunt prompt access to public information. The law clearly does not require that a government entity require that a citizen provide identification proving who they are to access public records. The law allows that a government entity may require proof of Tennessee residency, presumably because [...]

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 [...]

27 Feb, 2017

Editorial: Bill would make public records access easier

By Deborah Fisher|2017-02-27T18:18:13-06:00February 27, 2017|Categories: Legislature, requests|Tags: Knoxville News Sentinel, legislature, public records requests, requests by email|0 Comments

From the Knoxville News Sentinel Editorial Board, on a bill to make public records access easier: A legislative effort to make it easier for Tennesseans to file public records requests deserves the full-throated support of all who value open government. A bill that would clarify what constitutes a written public records request recently received the approval of a key House panel and is on track to become law during this session. The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Courtney Rogers, R-Goodlettsville, would require records custodians that accept requests for documents in writing “to accept a handwritten request submitted in person or by mail, an email request, or a request on an [...]