PIA

Concerns raised about accessibility of police body cam footage

FOIFT2016-02-08T14:34:53-06:00

By St. John-Barned Smith Houston Chronicle Originally published Feb. 7, 2016 Months after statewide body camera legislation took effect and the Houston Police Department outlined its policies regarding the devices, local criminal justice watchdogs worry that some video from high-profile incidents may never see the light of day. At issue, they say, are provisions in the law that could stymie requests for camera footage, privacy protections, and local departmental reluctance to release information. When the Legislature passed SB 158 last year - easily in the House and with some opposition in the Senate - it was touted as a way to [...]

Concerns raised about accessibility of police body cam footageFOIFT2016-02-08T14:34:53-06:00

Austin Music Census data to remain private

FOIFT2016-02-04T15:28:20-06:00

By Kevin Curtin Austin Chronicle Originally published Feb. 1, 2016 A drawn-out open records dispute over results from last year’s Austin Music Census has come to a conclusion as Texas’ Attorney General ruled that Titan Music Group, who the city contracted to conduct the survey, isn’t required to turn over the raw data to parties making public information filings. Cindy Royal, a Texas State University professor, initially filed a public information request for the Census data in August. She hoped to apply it to projects in a Coding and Data Skills for Communicators course she teaches. “We look at data in [...]

Austin Music Census data to remain privateFOIFT2016-02-04T15:28:20-06:00

Judge: County must pay newspaper’s legal expenses

FOIFT2016-01-28T20:40:43-06:00

By Wes Gardner Fort Bend Herald Originally published Jan. 26, 2016 Visiting Judge Larry Wagenbach denied a motion Monday that would have required the Fort Bend Herald to pay thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees for the release of information deemed to be public record. The decision means The Herald is eligible to receive attorney’s fees from Fort Bend County if county officials do not appeal the judge’s decision. For full story through subscription, click here.

Judge: County must pay newspaper’s legal expensesFOIFT2016-01-28T20:40:43-06:00

Questions raised in sex assault case as Bexar sheriff refuses to release basic report

FOIFT2016-01-19T19:11:51-06:00

By Brian Chasnoff Metro Columnist San Antonio Express-News Originally published Jan. 18, 2016 Last month, Bexar County Sheriff Susan Pamerleau seemed to acknowledge the role the media can play in cases of potential officer misconduct. Previously, her office had refused to release to the media even a basic incident report of a fatal deputy-involved shooting. That day, after a grand jury declined to indict two deputies in the shooting of Gilbert Flores, Pamerleau told a roomful of reporters that “times have changed … and going forward, we may make different decisions on information, on whether it’s releasable or not.” The times, [...]

Questions raised in sex assault case as Bexar sheriff refuses to release basic reportFOIFT2016-01-19T19:11:51-06:00

Paxton prosecutors sue Paxton’s agency to block records

FOIFT2016-01-15T15:37:11-06:00

By Chuck Lindell Austin American-Statesman Originally published Jan. 14, 2016 In an unusual and head-spinning twist, prosecutors in the criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the attorney general’s office Thursday to block the release of sensitive case information that could hinder Paxton’s defense but that his own agency ordered to be turned over to a Texas newspaper. Go ahead, read that sentence again. The latest twist began Oct. 14 when The Dallas Morning News requested copies of thousands of pages of investigative records that prosecutors had provided to Paxton’s defense lawyers in preparation for a potential trial on [...]

Paxton prosecutors sue Paxton’s agency to block recordsFOIFT2016-01-15T15:37:11-06:00

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