firstamendment

Accessing Field Interrogation Cards Q: I work for a law enforcement agency. I have been requested by a property management security company to search our database for all events and contacts pertaining to an individual who is a transient and a nuisance to their complex. The security company is in the process of obtaining a “Stay Away Order” and need documentation to support their claim. I am aware of what can be released, however I

Accessing your child’s juvenile records Q: I am trying to obtain cps records of my juvenile son, I was told by CPS that I would need an attorney to obtain any records; do I have a right to my son’s records? A: It sounds like the information you were provided by CPS is inaccurate. Under CA law, the “parent or guardian” of a minor is entitled to review CPS records about that minor: “Except as

Accessing police reports Q: I have been refused a copy of a police report. It is a complaint filed against myself. I have the complaint number. I filed a request with the police along with a check for the correct amount. I received a response back saying I wasn’t allowed to have a copy with NO explanation why. A: If you submit a written request under the Public Records Act for a copy of the

Accessing public payrolls Q: I recently filed a public records request for teacher payroll information with the Los Angeles Unified School District. My request was denied on the grounds that it represented an unreasonable invasion of privacy. It’s my understanding that public employee payroll documents should not be exempt through the “privacy” clause. A fellow student working with me sent an appeal to the district’s superintendent’s office, but to no avail. At this point, we