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Pics or it didn’t happen? Good luck with that on the public records trail. From Mountain City to Memphis and Clarksville to Chattanooga, local government agencies follow conflicting, contradictory — and completely arbitrary — rules on whether residents can take cellphone pictures of the records they helped pay to create. Just 5 percent of cities and counties — and no school systems — out of 259 agencies across the state examined by the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government have policies that specifically allow requesters to take photos of records rather than pay for copies. Nearly half of the agencies — 48 percent — ban use of personal equipment outright. Another 41 percent don’t even acknowledge the possibility, at least not on paper. Even the policies that allow cellphone photos aren’t necessarily consistent.
Bristol Herald Courier
Want a copy of a public record at the Knoxville, Tennessee, City County Building? Just whip out your phone and snap a photo. Don’t try that across the street at the Andrew Johnson Building. Knox County Schools policy specifically forbids taking pictures of records. Knox County illustrates the inconsistency of public records policies around the state on what advocates say ought to be a simple issue — the right to photograph a public document with the camera most Americans carry in their pockets.
Bristol Herald Courier
The city of Atlanta is under a criminal investigation into whether officials deliberately delayed information requested by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News. The revelation about such tactics wasn’t surprising to reporters regularly requesting information from agencies they cover. The AJC’s education reporters request information from metro Atlanta’s major school districts with regularity, and often find that seeking the same information can result in responses that vary, from how long it will take to compile to how it will be delivered.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A letter from Maricopa County, Arizona, Attorney Bill Montgomery to the region's police departments spells out, apparently for the first time, a system that puts the prosecutor's office in control of whether police records are released to the public or withheld. It warns of financial consequences for police departments that don't comply. The letter, obtained by The Arizona Republic, makes no direct mention that long-standing Arizona law and court rulings hold police records to be presumed public. It lists reasons Montgomery believes such records might need to be withheld. It spells out a process to limit release of video evidence only for law-enforcement purposes, and describes how prosecutors will pursue protective orders from judges to help keep records private.
The Arizona Republic
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"The letter describes how prosecutors will pursue protective orders from judges to help keep records private."
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