JobsCarsHomesRentalsPlace an ad »
       E-mail        Print        Text

tool name

close
tool goes here
Bad bill exploits officers' deaths

Similar Stories

Published: 02/10/1012:05 am
Comments (0)

State Rep. Lynn Kessler’s bill to seal information about people who work in the criminal justice system got absolutely nowhere last legislative session.

This year, it’s sailing through the House as lawmakers scramble to assist law enforcement in the wake of six cop killings.

The only problem: House Bill 1317 wouldn’t do anything to protect police officers from killers. It would, however, protect law enforcement agencies from public accountability.

The legislation is billed as a way to keep gangs and organized crime from compiling databases of law enforcement personnel. Even if that were happening – sponsors and supporters can’t cite any cases – HB 1317 would do nothing to prevent it.

State law already protects public employees’ privacy, exempting their home addresses, telephone numbers, Social Security number and other information that could identify family members.

If criminals are getting that information, it’s not from government files. Anyone with an Internet connection and few bucks can download such personal details – and they don’t have to bother with the arduous process of pursuing a public disclosure request.

This bill won’t roll back the digital age. All it would do is exempt from public disclosure the birthdates and photographs contained in criminal justice employees’ personnel files. That information will still be available elsewhere to any thug, ordinary citizen or reporter who wanted to find it.

So what’s the big deal about excluding it in personnel file releases? The big deal is that personnel files are one of the primary ways to monitor law enforcement for abuses and misconduct.

After Tacoma Police Chief David Brame shot his wife, personnel files were used to find other instances of domestic-violence complaints against officers. They are used to expose agencies that fail to punish criminal behavior in their ranks, to uncover abuses of pension and disability programs, and to identify specific officers accused of shirking their duty or worse.

The legislation is most decidedly not about protecting officers’ personal safety, or lawmakers wouldn’t be narrowly targeting only one government record – the one that is so pivotal to ensuring public accountability.

Law enforcement depends on public trust to do its job well. That trust would be weakened if the Legislature shields all employees of criminal justice agencies from scrutiny under the guise of protecting the lives of police officers.

 

Comments

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service.

Comments are displayed newest first. If you would like to read a thread from beginning to end, select "Oldest first" from the drop down menu.
Presented By
Previous Ad Next Ad
0/0
Homes By
Previous Ad Next Ad
0/0
AAA Travel AARP MedicareComplete Alice In Wonderland American Memorial Anderson Appliance Aqua Rec's Swimmin' Hole & Fireplace Shop At Your Service Plumbing AT&T Attorney James Caraher Bergman Draper & Frockt BetterThanMedicare.com Big 5 Sporting Goods Blue Mouse Theatre Broadway Center For The Performing Arts Brooklyn's Finest Charles Schwab Chevrolet City of Tacoma Classy Chassis Coast Home Improvement, Inc. Crazy Heart Discount Tire Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino Emerald Queen Hotel & Casino Farmers Insurance Group Foreclosure Solutions Franciscan Health System Friesenburgers Galaxy Theatres Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center / Remodeling Expo Harbor Lights Harkness Furniture Hearthside Manor Homestead Restaurant HomeStreet Bank Jack Roberts Appliance Johnny's Dock Restaurant & Marina Kantor Diamond Company Katherine E. Crabill D.D.S. Kenneth P. Ring, DDS KeyBank Lakewood Ford Les Schwab Liberty Research Center Lowe's Model A Ford Club of America / Almost Spring Swap Meet Mountain View Funeral Home Muckleshoot Casino Narrows Glen Navy Federal Credit Union New Covenant Pentecostal Tabernacle New Tacoma Cemeteries & Funeral Home Northwest Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America Northwest Charity Donation Service Northwest Mini Oakbrook Golf & Country Club Pacific Northwest Polish Pottery Party World Pfizer, Inc. / Lipitor Pierce County Library System Pierce County Reads Pioneer Place Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium Powers Funeral Home Puget Sound Health Partners Red Canoe Credit Union Red Wind Casino Roof Therapy, Inc. Russ Dunmire Sears Smile Train Smith Alling Lane, P.S. Sprint St. Joseph Medical Center / South Sound Gamma Knife Star Ice & Fuel State Farm Insurance Sterling Savings Bank Sturtevant's Ski Mart Tacoma Boys / H & L Produce Tacoma Dome / George Strait / Reba Tacoma Firs Golf Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community Tacoma Public Utilities Tacoma Symphony Orchestra The Crazies The Grand Cinema The Lutheran Church of St. Paul The Northwest Leadership Foundation Titus-Will Ford Titus-Will Pre-owned at Stadium Titus-Will Toyota T-Mobile USA, Inc. Travel Leaders Truckcity CB, EV and Solar Van Lierop Bulb Farm Vargus & Associates, Inc. Verizon Wireless Video Only Volvo / BMW Repair Washington Alliance for a Competitive Economy Washington Council of the Blind We The People, P.S. Law Office Wiggins Mantels & Woodworks Inc. Yuen Lui Studio YWCA Pierce County / Annual Rags Wearable Art Sale & Show Washington Council of the Blind We The People, P.S. Law Office Wiggins Mantels & Woodworks Inc. Yuen Lui Studio YWCA Pierce County / Annual Rags Wearable Art Sale & Show Washington Council of the Blind We The People, P.S. Law Office Wiggins Mantels & Woodworks Inc. Yuen Lui Studio YWCA Pierce County / Annual Rags Wearable Art Sale & Show Washington Council of the Blind We The People, P.S. Law Office Wiggins Mantels & Woodworks Inc. Yuen Lui Studio YWCA Pierce County / Annual Rags Wearable Art Sale & Show
Front page PDF