public records training Archives - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

28 Aug, 2019

Office of Open Records Counsel to offer free training statewide in October

By Deborah Fisher|2019-08-28T14:10:16-05:00August 28, 2019|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Office of Open Records Counsel, public records training|0 Comments

The Office of Open Records Counsel is offering seven two-hour training sessions across the state from Oct. 1-22 on public records and open meetings laws. Lee Pope, the state's Open Records Counsel. The sessions are free and open to government employees, elected officials, media, and anyone who is interested in learning more about Tennessee’s public records and open meetings laws. RSVP by sending an email to [email protected]. The time, dates and places are: Cookeville: Tuesday, October 1, 10 am – 12 pm, Upper Cumberland Regional Health Facility, 1100 England Drive, Cookeville. Kingsport: Wednesday, October 9, 10 am – 12 pm, Kingsport Chamber of Commerce, 400 Clinchfield Street, #100, Kingsport. Knoxville: [...]

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 [...]

Memphis report charts new approach to handling public records requests

By Deborah Fisher|2015-06-19T16:53:45-05:00May 5, 2015|Categories: Public Records, requests|Tags: A C Wharton Jr., fees for public records, Memphis, Mike Carpenter, open data, public records request, public records training, Sunlight Foundation, The Commercial Appeal|0 Comments

A top-to-bottom review presented to the mayor of Memphis last week charts a new approach to handling public records requests in Tennessee and takes direct aim at improving the underlying culture of openness. Among the 23 recommendations, it suggests a “fresh start” by re-assigning current public records custodians “to prevent adoption of incorrect methods or bad habits that have formed as part of the culture of the division or the department in which they work.” It talks about a “customer-friendly attitude,” suggests appointing a public records ombudsman to resolve disputes, and recommends a training program that would include a mix of city officials, media representatives and citizens “so each can gain [...]