Jane Doe, et al. v. Seattle Police Department, et al.
This brief argues for the importance of disclosing the identities of the Seattle Police Department officers involved in the insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021.
2024: Mandating Transparency
Arizona SB 1074
Comprehensive set of rights for victims of police violence, including access to information, compensation, right to petition prosecutor to reopen the case.
California AB 1725
Requires every municipality to post on its website, by February 1, information about every settlement or judgment of $50k or more reached in the previous year resulting from a lawsuit alleging police misconduct.
Tennessee HB 1522
As introduced, creates a Class E felony of a law enforcement officer operating a law enforcement body camera in any manner that would prevent the creation or recordation of evidence with the intent to obstruct justice.
Alabama HB 41
Allows a recording made by a body-worn camera or dashboard camera used by law enforcement to be considered a public record, making the recording subject to public inspection.
Eric Mack v. Office of the District Attorney of the Bristol District
Plaintiff-Appellee seeks the disclosure of materials related to law enforcement’s actions surrounding a police shooting death under the Public Records Law. The specific disclosures Plaintiff-Appellee seeks bear a direct relation to the perceived legitimacy of the investigation surrounding the death and, ultimately, to the transparency and trust that lie at the heart of the Public Records Law and its recent amendments.
ACLU Pennsylvania v. Pennsylvania State Police
This brief urges the Court to require disclosure of the social media monitoring policies requested by appellants in the case. A huge thank you to the Thomas Merton Center and NPAP Board Vice President Jon Feinberg of Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing, Feinberg & Lin.
Lifting the Blue Veil of Silence: Legislative Proposals to Improve Transparency in Policing and Build Community Trust
Access to police misconduct records is necessary to protect the public and ensure accountability in a range of contexts. The contents of disciplinary records provide insight into an individual officer’s suitability to serve in law enforcement. Similarly, these records shed light on patterns of police misconduct and help ensure communities can evaluate whether law enforcement agencies are conducting fair investigations into citizen complaints. Unfortunately, confidentiality laws in many states prohibit disclosure of this valuable information.