Transparency News, 7/18/2022

Monday
July 18, 2022

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state & local news stories

A district judge in Loudoun County imposed a $500 penalty against the town clerk of Lovettsville for multiple violations of FOIA, including refusing to proceed with Caitlin Keefe's FOIA request for Facebook posts because Keefe said she was going to ask the FOIA Council for an opinion on the town's insistence on a $115 upfront deposit on the request. FOIA only allows a deposit for estimates over $200. The court also discusses redaction (confirming that 2.2-3705.1(10) is not a catch-all privacy exemption that would allow the redaction of names and profile pictures from Facebook posts), post-litigation production of records, and the reasonableness of FOIA charges and attorney fees.
Read the opinion on VCOG's website

A change in the Roanoke County school system’s media policy prompted a debate and concerns, including from the division’s head librarian, according to emails obtained by The Roanoke Times through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Before being added to a school’s collection, two elementary school librarians must now read and write a review for each book. One is required to read and write a review at the middle and high school levels. Additionally, all librarians at each level must agree the book should be added.
The Roanoke Times

The Fairfax County branch of the NAACP is asking for the expedited release of body camera and dash camera footage after two deadly shootings and a third incident involving Fairfax Police Department officers. The organization points to a shooting on June 30, a shooting on July 7 and an incident that took place in an IHOP parking lot on July 10 as examples of "recent, disturbing interactions between the Fairfax County Police Department and civilians."  Fairfax County Police Department policy requires body-worn camera footage or dashcam footage in shootings to be released within 30 days of the incident. "We understand that standards of operations and policy allow for the police department to take up to 30 days to release body-worn camera footage. However, given the magnitude of these incidents, over a short period of time, and the shockwaves they sent throughout the community, we strongly urge the county to expedite the release of camera footage in the spirit of transparency and community stewardship," the NAACP said.
WUSA