SPECIAL REPORT: Tech Police questioned about open records policy
Alex Hatcher
Issue date: 10/16/09 Section: News
Obtaining police records is generally a straight forward and simple process. But students are quickly learning that this seemingly simple task is not so easy.
I am a senior journalism student and have been assigned to report on campus crime each week. And for the second straight week, I have been denied access to view police reports during regular business hours.
My intentions were to go into the police office, read through the police reports and write about the most intriguing story. To my dismay, the employees of the police station claimed they couldn't show me the reports unless the police chief was present.
"Many state open record laws, including Tennessee's, allow requesters to make a simple oral request to the person that holds the records," according to the Student Press Law Center. "In these cases, the state official must provide reasonable and prompt access to the requester during normal business hours."
These rights of a journalist and members of the public come from The Freedom of Information Act. This was passed so that people can keep tabs on what government is doing. It's based on the fundamental belief that people do not, and should not, give their government the right to decide what the people should or should not know.
The laws especially apply to institutions of higher education, such as Tech. The students who have been assigned to report on campus crime agree this has been an ongoing issue for too long.
Mike Ford, a senior journalism student, was assigned to report on campus crime last semester and says they treated him the same way.
"When I covered the police beat, I had the same problems," Ford said. "I told them it was against the law to withhold the reports, but that didn't stop them from doing it."
The reason the police department cited as to why they refused to release the police reports was that the police chief was not present, and that she is the only person allowed to review the police reports.
I am a senior journalism student and have been assigned to report on campus crime each week. And for the second straight week, I have been denied access to view police reports during regular business hours.
My intentions were to go into the police office, read through the police reports and write about the most intriguing story. To my dismay, the employees of the police station claimed they couldn't show me the reports unless the police chief was present.
"Many state open record laws, including Tennessee's, allow requesters to make a simple oral request to the person that holds the records," according to the Student Press Law Center. "In these cases, the state official must provide reasonable and prompt access to the requester during normal business hours."
These rights of a journalist and members of the public come from The Freedom of Information Act. This was passed so that people can keep tabs on what government is doing. It's based on the fundamental belief that people do not, and should not, give their government the right to decide what the people should or should not know.
The laws especially apply to institutions of higher education, such as Tech. The students who have been assigned to report on campus crime agree this has been an ongoing issue for too long.
Mike Ford, a senior journalism student, was assigned to report on campus crime last semester and says they treated him the same way.
"When I covered the police beat, I had the same problems," Ford said. "I told them it was against the law to withhold the reports, but that didn't stop them from doing it."
The reason the police department cited as to why they refused to release the police reports was that the police chief was not present, and that she is the only person allowed to review the police reports.
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