Interesting People mailing list archives

re: apparently many police depts feel they can ignore [f.o.i] laws


From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2007 12:19:58 -0500



Begin forwarded message:

From: bobr () bobrosenberg phoenix az us
Date: January 14, 2007 10:43:03 AM EST
To: dave () farber net, jwarren () well com
Subject: Re: apparently many police depts feel they can ignore [f.o.i] laws

Dave & Jim

IANAL, but I wonder....

If the people WHO violate the FOIA law are sworn police officers, and, by that swearing, they are sworn to uphold the law, and they are now violating the law, I
wonder....

I wonder if that behavior is Perjury?

Any lawyers out there in IPland?

Bob Rosenberg
P.O. Box 33023
Phoenix, AZ  85067-3023
Mobile:  602-206-2856
LandLine:  602-274-3012
bob () bobrosenberg phoenix az us




Begin forwarded message:

From: Jim Warren <jwarren () well com>
Date: January 12, 2007 4:19:38 PM EST
To: calfoi () journalism berkeley edu, State and Local Freedom of
Information Issues <FOI-L () LISTSERV SYR EDU>, Dave Farber
<dave () farber net>
Subject: apparently many police depts feel they can ignore [f.o.i] laws

[A former editor of mine just sent this URL to me.  The web-link has
adverts that load first, from an outrageously turgid ad-"server", but
if you wait long enough, the full article is worth the wait ... in an
appalling sorta way.  The California Public Records Act is quite
clear about much of what these law-"enforcement" agencies chose to
refuse to do.  I suspect one would find similar disregard in most
states, for their open-government "laws".  --jim]

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/ci_4999581

Audit: Cops deny records access
Survey gives median average score of 30 out of 100 to Bay Area
departments

By Thomas Peele and Matt Krupnick, MEDIANEWS STAFF
Article Last Updated: 01/12/2007 07:04:09 AM PST

California law gives anyone the right to walk into a police
department and inspect a wide variety of information, from crime and
arrest reports to statistics on officer-misconduct complaints.

But a statewide audit of such access released today shows a wide gap
between the law and the reality of what happens when people ask to
see public information at California police stations.

Police often violated laws that mandate open access to public records
and delayed for weeks the release of ordinary reports, intimidating
people who asked for them and researching their backgrounds,
according to the audit of more than 200 departments and California
Highway Patrol offices, including 63 in the Bay Area.

Written requests for records were sometimes ignored and some
departments even refused to accept them.

More than 60 journalists across the state - including the Alameda
Times-Star and six other MediaNews newspapers in the Bay Area and KGO-
TV - participated in the audit, which was conducted Dec. 4 in 34 of
California's 58 counties.

The effort was coordinated by Californians Aware, a Sacramento-based
group that advocates transparent government and records access. The
group aims to educate government workers and the public about
information that every person - not just public officials or
journalists - is entitled to see.

...<BIG snip>...






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