Senate Bill 1436 has caused alarm in the Freedom of Information, or FOI, community.
It has an exemption to our state’s FOI Act that would forbid releasing complaints against a police or correction officer until they’re “investigated and adjudicated by the proper legal authority.”
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WATCH HEREThe Police Officers Association of Connecticut said at a hearing on the bill that “this provision helps protect officers from unwarranted character harm before the validity of allegations is determined.”
The state’s Freedom of Information Commission countered, "If an officer retires or resigns before a complaint is ‘investigated and adjudicated by a proper legal authority,' the public may never know what circumstances led to that decision.”
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SIGN UP Leaders in the state House of Representatives, where Democrats hold a sizeable majority and the bill goes next, have been playing their cards close.
“Certainly I think it’s a legitimate concern. I met with the FOI Commission last week to go over all the bills that are of concern to them," House Majority Leader Jason Rojas said.
House Speaker Matthew Ritter added, “I think these things are hard and when we caucus on these things, we get both sides. And I don’t think there’s this goal to undermine FOI."
Investigations
A leading state senator, known as an open records advocate, has said that since this bill has a number of sections, it’s possible the provision putting restrictions on police records was overlooked.
She said she is seeking to have the provision changed or eliminated.
