Transparency News, 3/3/20
Tuesday
March 3, 2020
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state & local news stories
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Smyth County became the newest locality to silence the once public airwaves last July and Wythe County has plans to do so in the near future. The switch is in an effort to protect officer and public safety, area police leaders say, as well as to prevent criminals from listening in on officer movements. Because Marion, Chilhowie and Saltville police departments all share a channel with the sheriff’s office, they, too, have gone silent, leaving only the local fire departments and EMS to publicly broadcast on county frequencies. 911 Coordinator Shannon Williams said those agencies could encrypt their channels, as well, if they wanted to. They would only need to upgrade their equipment. But he said those agencies don’t really have the same need to encrypt. While the switch works to help protect officers, investigations and sensitive information, it also leaves the public unaware of police activities in their communities. Encryption isn’t new and isn’t unique to the area. The switch to encryption has become a growing trend across the country and has left some divided on whether the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. Journalists and government transparency advocates from across the country have criticized the transitions for leaving the public largely in the dark. Megan Rhyne, with the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, explained that the immediacy of information gathered through scanner traffic helps news reporters inform the public about situations that could be of immediate interest.
Smyth County Messenger
stories of national interest
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to review a petition from two U.S. agencies trying to reverse a court order to release draft documents from a controversial species consultation process. The Freedom of Information Act case could have broad ramifications for agency disclosure in other contexts. Government lawyers warned in their petition that allowing the order to stand would undermine a FOIA exemption that allows for “candid” communication between agencies during decision-making processes. But the Sierra Club, which filed the underlying case, says FOIA doesn’t allow agencies to shield important records simply by labeling them drafts.
Bloomberg Environment
The Freedom of Information Act is a big part of Allan Blutstein’s life. The Chinatown (D.C.) resident has been a FOIA attorney for a decade and a half, and he’s handled FOIA requests as both a responder, for the Justice and Treasury departments, and as a requester: He’s currently the senior vice-president of FOIA operations at the political research firm America Rising. He also helps run a blog called FOIA Advisor. So it makes sense that Blutstein’s dream license plate reads “FOIA.” “I thought it would be fun,” he tells Washingtonian. But the DC DMV rejected Blutstein’s request, citing “reference of govt language” in a letter to him dated February 21.
Washingtonian
"The Sierra Club . . . says FOIA doesn’t allow agencies to shield important records simply by labeling them drafts."
