Appeals Court Rules Against New York Police Unions, Says Misconduct Records Can Be Released
The 2nd Circuit rejected the police unions' arguments that disclosure would invade officers' privacy and put them in danger.
The 2nd Circuit rejected the police unions' arguments that disclosure would invade officers' privacy and put them in danger.
The move is similar to what's known as a "reverse FOIA" lawsuit, which forces the requester to go to court to defend his right to access public records.
The federal judiciary should not be charging for access to public court records.
The PACER database is antiquated and expensive to access, and that's just the way the federal judiciary likes it.
It's an improvement over the status quo. But time will tell how frequently the feds try to suppress important footage.
Transparency is only for the little people, it would seem.
Expansive and expensive government programs represent irresistible temptations for sticky-fingered crooks.
With the right freedom of information and use policies, wearable cameras could still be a powerful weapon to increase transparency.
Los Angeles Sheriff's Department
Tensions are high over the weekend shooting of two deputies.
The unions argued that releasing unsubstantiated complaints would harm officers' reputations and threaten their safety.
Just like millions of their fellow Americans, the justices would have to adjust to the strange new realities of social distancing and working from home.
A federal judge gags the New York Civil Liberties Union, but a media outlet manages to collect and publish a database of misbehaving cops.
And Sen. Tim Scott (R–S.C.) says policing reform in Congress might not be dead after all.
Efforts to force sunlight into police conduct have been thwarted by noncompliance.
It's been nearly four months since a Maryland SWAT team killed Duncan Lemp, and there's been no transparency.
Members of Congress may have benefited from small business funds, and government watchdogs are warning that the program appears susceptible to fraud.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says that information is confidential. Government watchdogs say that excuse is bogus.
New York was a national outlier in hiding police misconduct records. The state legislature finally repealed the law responsible for it.
If Art Acevedo had any shame, he would be engaging in less grandstanding and more introspection.
From tighter use-of-force rules to eliminating qualified immunity, here are some reforms that could make a real difference.
Would you be surprised if you learned the former district attorney was caught leasing an SUV with asset forfeiture funds?
There’s a lot of work to be done to prevent future George Floyds. Here are some baby steps.
For decades, New York's secrecy regime has hidden police misconduct records from families and reporters.
People insisted the wiretapping of Carter Page was perfectly normal. That turned out to be wrong.
Privacy activists say we should be alarmed by the rise of automated facial recognition surveillance. Transhumanist Zoltan Istvan says it's time to embrace the end of privacy as we know it.
Unprecedented live audio streaming of oral arguments could signal more openness.
A long-running legal battle ends with a victory for open government.
The point isn't only to provide reassurance to the public, but also to guide policymakers who have to make decisions on things such as opening or closing public schools, libraries, or playgrounds.
If only everybody weren’t stuck in their homes.
It hampers transparency and means that relevant health officials who lack clearance can't participate.
The Hamilton County Attorney's Office later admitted that its policies conflict with the state's public records law.
The Cato Institute wants Congress to investigate the FBI after it refused to confirm or deny the existence of files on dozens of political advocacy groups.
In requiring greater transparency in police record-keeping, California proves it can do at least one thing right.
Don’t be afraid of the robopups, but make sure we leash law enforcement to keep officers from misusing them.
Environmental Protection Agency
Congress wants to know if the agency is strengthening transparency or silencing science.
Police unions are unhappy.
Powerful unions and state-mandated secrecy made it a fight to know about misconduct.
Media outlets are seeing foot-dragging, destroyed records, and demands for big money for compliance.
Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling expanded when the government can keep business records secret. That's bad news for transparency
A small city in California has been plagued by police shootings, costly civil rights lawsuits, and incidents of excessive force.
The police conducted two searches in two days to track down who is leaking things leaders don’t want the public to know.
Alabama is one of the least transparent states in the U.S. when it comes to civil asset forfeiture. That could be changing.
Texas law lets police hide records of suspects who die in custody from grieving families. It could have been fixed, but a police union torpedoed the reform bill.