A group is calling for increased transparency for the Capitol Police, a department of more than 2,000 employees with a budget topping $450 million. A letter sent last week to USCP Police Chief Matthew R. Verderosa calls for the department to publish its guidelines and procedures on what it considers public documents that the public and news media have access to. The letter, from open government advocacy group Demand Progress, says that the group has attempted to obtain public records from USCP’s reports and processing section and its public information office without success. Capitol Police is exempt from having to release to another entity any information “that relates to actions taken ... in response to an emergency situation, or to any other counterterrorism and security preparedness measures” unless it determines that releasing the information will not “jeopardize the security and safety” of the Capitol complex. That means that … [Read more...] about Transparency advocates call on Capitol Police to improve public records policies
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Massachusetts State Police refuses to disclose union rep pay records, adding to list of hidden public records
The Massachusetts State Police has made a habit of declaring records secret, from 911 calls to gun sale invoices to arrest reports on troopers accused of drunk driving.Now, the department has pulled another trove of public information into the dark: the payroll records of every State Police union representative.On Wednesday, State Police denied MassLive’s public records request for the shift and overtime records of State Police Association of Massachusetts representatives – information that has long been considered public for state employees.The payroll records are now secret, State Police said, because the documents are connected to a federal investigation. The union and its former president Dana Pullman are currently under scrutiny by federal authorities, who have asked questions about union political contributions and a charitable foundation run by Pullman’s wife“The documents you have requested are the subject of/ connected to an active and ongoing … [Read more...] about Massachusetts State Police refuses to disclose union rep pay records, adding to list of hidden public records
CLARIFICATION: Family sues police for public records
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. (WCAX) The family of a Vermont woman whose obituary gained national attention for its discussion about her opioid addiction sued a Massachusetts police department for information about the days leading up to her death. They sued for public records, but it is not a wrongful death suit. WCAX News reported this story when video of Maddie Linsenmeir's booking was released. A headline in the story erroneously said the family was suing for lack of aid. While the family says Linsenmeir was denied medical attention, the lawsuit requested public records from police, records they say, the department was withholding. The suit against the Springfield Police Department and city of Springfield says Linsenmeir was arrested in late September and later transferred to the custody of the sheriff's department. It says she was rushed on Oct. 4 to the hospital, where she later died. "Our beloved sister and daughter was refused medical attention while in police custody. We are deeply … [Read more...] about CLARIFICATION: Family sues police for public records
Carlton: On mug shots, Hillsborough sheriff tries to strike balance on public records that should be public
On this we probably agree: Government records open to the public are generally a good thing.Being able see for yourself online what public officials, those who would influence them and also your fellow citizens are up to — who’s donating to which campaigns, who's getting arrested, what politicians will take up at their next meeting — all good.On the subject of online arrest records, maybe we can agree on this, too: You, person of the world, are smart enough to know the difference between an arrest and a conviction and that charges sometimes get reduced or dropped.So a recent change at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office that means you can no longer easily look up arrest records dating back decades online is worth talking about.As the Times' Tony Marrero reported, Sheriff Chad Chronister initially decided the public would no longer be able to look up arrest records and mug shots with a few keystrokes unless the person was at that very moment sitting in jail. … [Read more...] about Carlton: On mug shots, Hillsborough sheriff tries to strike balance on public records that should be public
Miami Beach Police Employee Charged With Falsifying Public Records After Hiding Evidence
It seems pretty common that Miami-area cops mishandle evidence and critical police property. Mere days after a group of Miami Police Department civilian employees were fired for driving away with property stored in evidence lockers, a City of Miami Beach worker, Jason Bruder, was hit today with nine misdemeanor charges of falsifying public records. Charging documents from the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office say Bruder was caught falsifying lists of items in a crime scene squad "evidence cabinet log" in nine instances. A police spokesperson says the charges involved "neither narcotics nor money."MBPD first suspended Bruder, a 13-year civilian employee of the department, July 15. As a crime scene technician, he was tasked with collecting fingerprints and forensic evidence from crime scenes. MBPD issued a release in July announcing Bruder had been suspended with pay after he was caught keeping evidence inside special lockers that only he could access. The department said in July … [Read more...] about Miami Beach Police Employee Charged With Falsifying Public Records After Hiding Evidence