The city of Roanoke and the sheriff of Botetourt County are going to court over a request to provide surveillance camera data requested by a Virginia citizen and journalist. As part of Cardinal News’s State of Surveillance project, Executive Editor Jeff Schwaner took several drives through Southwest and Southside Virginia to visit reporters. He then filed a Freedom of Information Act request with multiple locations, requesting the Flock camera data of his own vehicle. Staunton, Martinsville and Augusta County provided the data requested in a timely manner, pursuant to Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. Other agencies asked for more time, as is their right under the law. The city of Roanoke and Botetourt County Sheriff Matthew Ward filed a request for a declaratory judgment with the Roanoke City Circuit Court. A hearing is set for March 20 in Roanoke.
The Freedom of Information Advisory Council’s executive director, Alan Gernhardt, told VPM News that although personnel records have been exempted multiple times, the legal precedents of the past say otherwise. Gernhardt noted the staffing for undercover operations, protective details and undercover officers are generally protected. That is what Hanover’s legal team argued at each level of the proceedings, but that argument ultimately didn’t sway the judges. “If somebody wants a full roster of all the officers’ salary and rank that’s open,” Gernhardt said. “If you want to know which ones are assigned to undercover operations, they can say no we’re not going to tell you that. I think the court’s opinion mostly just confirms that prior understanding.” Hanover County officials may still appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court for a possibly different interpretation than COVA’s.
New emails obtained by CBS 6 through a public records request shed light on how officials who regulate Richmond’s drinking water system were reacting as the city rolled out the findings of its investigation into the water crisis. VDH cited a Freedom of Information Act exemption that shields working papers of the governor’s office from mandatory disclosure [to completely redact one email message}. However, no one from the governor’s office is listed as a contact who would have sent or received this email. CBS 6 has asked VDH for more information regarding the use of this exemption and is waiting to hear back.
10:00 – 11:00 Animal testing transparency 11:00 – 11:20 Need to Know: Minium v. Hines 11:30 – 12:00 Buried treasures at the courthouse 12:00 – 1:30 Lunch program awards keynote speaker VCOG annual meeting 1:30 – 2:00 Access and Gen Z 2:00 – 2:20 Need to Know: Courthouse News Service v. Smith 2:20 – 2:50 AI, Open Data and Civic Innovation 3:00 – 3:20 Need to Know: NPR v. Department of Corrections 3:20 – 4:20 The Transparency Gap in Local Solar and Data Projects
Boone Newsmedia Christian & Barton, LLP Joshua Heslinga Megan Rhyne Richmond Times-Dispatch Sage Information Systems Thomas H. Roberts & Associates Virginia Association of Broadcasters Virginia Poverty Law Center WHRO WTVR
