Documents in South Burlington police case public, sort of

November 1, 2011

From Burlington Free Press:

South Burlington has released traffic stop documents related to former police Cpl. Jack O'Connor to one individual but withheld the same documents from the public, claiming at one point that they are not public records at all.

Secretary of State Jim Condos said the city seemed to want to "have it both ways" by releasing the documents to one individual under a confidentiality agreement while simultaneously denying another request for the record. Maria Archangelo, president of the Vermont Press Association, described the city's position on the records as "confusing." Allen Gilbert, director of American Civil Liberties Union Vermont, called it "frightening."