City Takes Public Records Action

The City of Monroe informed the community several days ago that there have been numerous requests made through the City to attain certain information regarding the records of former and current Monroe police officers. While no other details were provided, the public’s interest into conduct of police officers is of vital interest since they are public servants on the taxpayers’ payroll. Monroe, like any other community that has a police department, must ensure that the interest and rights of all of its’ citizens are protected through transparency when it come to the police department. It is that trust in the police department that citizens expect all to be treated equally and fairly when contact is made with members of the police department. The City of Monroe issued a statement concerning the releasing of any such information according to legal guidelines, as police officers also have rights. The statement is as follows:

“The City of Monroe firmly believes in an open and transparent government. Recently, the City has received numerous requests for public records related to the internal, investigatory file of several and former Monroe Police Departments. The City recognizes the public’s right to know about the day-to-day operations of its government and its employees, but also recognizes that individual employees may have a constitutional or statutory right to the privacy in their personnel records. To that end, the City also has an obligation as an employer to protect the privacy interests of its employees. Many of the employees have expressed their formal opposition to the release of their personnel or investigatory files.

Because of these competing interests, and the multiple requests that the City has received for this information, the City filed a petition February 11, 2020, in the Fourth Judicial District Court, Ouachita Parish, seeking a declaration concerning what documents in connection with an employees internal, investigatory file must be produced in response to a public records request. This action was not taken to delay responding to any request, but it was done to ensure that the City appropriately takes into account the public’s right to know and the employees’ right to privacy. We hope that the Court’s guidance, in this case, will serve as a useful tool to help us respond to similar public records requests in the future”. Angie Sturdivant, City Attorney

The Dispatch has published numerous articles from concerned citizens alleging misconduct performed by law enforcement officers, whether on them individually, an immediate family member, or someone that they know. That misconduct has consisted of abusive behavior ranging from threatening language to excessive force. The community understands the need for a sufficient police force having the tools to do its job efficiently, while at the same time keeping in mind that they also work under the law. The public should have the right to know when an officer violates the law, subject to privacy issues. But when someone breaks the law, it becomes a public issue that we see played out in media reporting every day. It should be no different from police officers.