Kelley Shannon

Prime Prep Academy ordered to release documents to The Dallas Morning News

FOIFT2014-12-22T15:40:04-06:00

By Jeff Mosier The Dallas Morning News Originally published Dec. 21. 2014 The Texas attorney general’s office has intervened to force Prime Prep Academy to release public documents it has withheld from The Dallas Morning News for months. The troubled charter school had 10 business days to provide all the documents to the attorney general, but it appears Prime Prep will miss that Friday deadline. Edwin Flores, the school’s attorney in this matter, said he forwarded all documents he’s received, but some still haven’t been produced by administrators. The information requested from Prime Prep included noncontroversial documents that are routinely released by local [...]

Prime Prep Academy ordered to release documents to The Dallas Morning NewsFOIFT2014-12-22T15:40:04-06:00

Save or delete? Official email policies vary by state

FOIFT2014-10-30T14:10:56-05:00

By Jenni Bergal Stateline Originally published Oct. 30, 2014 In Pennsylvania, state agency employees’ email is purged five days after it is deleted. In New York, email is automatically discarded after 90 days unless an employee specifically tags it. And in North Carolina, executive branch email of any kind must be kept for at least five years. Every state has policies governing how long records are saved and when they can be purged—if ever. But those retention policies vary greatly across states. Often employees have to determine on their own whether to keep or delete an email. Many media and open [...]

Save or delete? Official email policies vary by stateFOIFT2014-10-30T14:10:56-05:00

Lubbock police: No more blanket policy on identifying officers in shootings

FOIFT2014-10-27T15:05:50-05:00

By Gabriel Monte Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Originally published Oct. 25, 2014 In an effort to protect the safety of officers and their families, Lubbock Police Department officials are moving away from a blanket policy of identifying officers involved in a shooting. Greg Stevens, Lubbock police assistant chief, said the decision was made after asking police officials from other Texas cities about their policies regarding identifying officers. “The leading answer was: We don’t identify the officer unless there is wrongdoing on the officer’s part, and of course then they do,” he said. “And so with that, (Lubbock police) Chief (Roger) Ellis and I [...]

Lubbock police: No more blanket policy on identifying officers in shootingsFOIFT2014-10-27T15:05:50-05:00

FOI experts share tips for smoother access to public information

FOIFT2022-03-31T17:08:44-05:00

By Kelley Shannon FOI Foundation of Texas Executive Director ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The National Freedom of Information Coalition Summit this week featured a discussion with journalists, attorneys and open government advocates on how to write better public information requests and how to overcome barriers to access. Participating panelists were Florida journalist Kris Hundley; Thomas Susman, director of governmental affairs for the American Bar Association; Shane Shifflett, developer of FOIA Machine; and Barbara Petersen, president of the First Amendment Foundation of Florida. Here's a quick look at some of their tips: -When seeking a government document in electronic format, specify that [...]

FOI experts share tips for smoother access to public informationFOIFT2022-03-31T17:08:44-05:00

Accident witness: Officer threatened to take cell phone for taking photos

FOIFT2014-10-10T13:45:46-05:00

By Deborah McKeon Temple Daily Telegram Originally published Oct. 9, 2014 A Temple resident who witnessed an accident in which two men died on Thursday night said a Temple Police officer threatened to take his cellphone away because he was taking photographs and video. Sean Ramirez said the officer threatened to take his cellphone away if he didn’t stop taking pictures, so Ramirez said he stopped and started recording instead. The same officer started yelling at him again to turn off his phone before it was taken from him, so Ramirez went across the street to take the final photo, he [...]

Accident witness: Officer threatened to take cell phone for taking photosFOIFT2014-10-10T13:45:46-05:00

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