In the wake of Globe requests for reports on the use of force by police officers, the city of Joplin on Friday did an about-face, declaring reports on officer use of Taser guns also off-limits to public scrutiny.
A state press association lawyer termed the city's justification for the move questionable, and an official with a civil-rights organization said more secrecy adds to the risk of eroding public trust.
The Globe earlier this month requested the Police Department's use-of-force reports for Jan. 1, 2003, to Apr. 30, 2005.
Officers file the reports after they hit a person or use a weapon - including Tasers, which are weapons that deliver an electrical shock to their targets.
The city denied the newspaper's request for the overall use-of-force reports on Wednesday, saying that the reports are confidential personnel records.
No comments:
Post a Comment