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Arkansas PoliticsEthics/Government TransparencyRead

Undermining FOIA in Law Enforcement

SB346

SB346 – Undermining the Freedom of Information Act in Law Enforcement

Those sneaky politicians are at it again, trying to make government more costly and less transparent. Tucked away in the fine print of SB346 are two sections of new law. This new law would make it harder on the public to retrieve information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Specifically, it would allow law enforcement agencies to outsource fulfilling FOIA requests for items like dash cam footage, body cam footage, and 911 call footage and then charge for fulfilling that request.

How does SB346 Undermine FOIA?:

  1. Limits Requests – it will limit the total amount of requests (time) that a person can ask for body cam footage, dash cam footage, and 911 calls. A limit of three hours for free will be allowed.
  2. Charges for FOIA Requests – the bill would allow law enforcement agencies, including college law enforcement, to charge an unlimited amount for FOIA requests made for items that are supposed to be subject to the FOIA.
  3. Chilling Effect on FOIA Requests – This change will put a chilling effect on people making requests. People may not know the cost of the request or not be able to pay for the request.

The bill has passed out of Senate committee on a voice vote. It will head to the Senate Floor. Contact your State Senator and ask them to vote NO and to defend the Freedom of Information Law.

 

 

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