CT: Hearing officer says state police policy on arrest records violated FOI law

An attorney for the Freedom of Information Commission has tentatively ruled that state police violated the state’s Freedom of Information Act when the agency required written permission from a prosecutor for the release of documents while a case was pending prosecution.

Hearing Officer Lisa Fein Siegel found in her Nov. 9 report, stemming from a complaint from the Record-Journal, that the law enforcement agency’s policy violated state law regarding the release of arrest records during pending prosecution.

State police turned over the requested documents ahead of a September hearing before the commission, but Siegel said the agency’s policy also resulted in an unwarranted delay. The FOI Commission will vote Dec. 7 on whether it accepts Siegel’s findings and decision.

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