Request for Police Records Intensifies

A request for the records of current and former Monroe Police Department officers took on a new twist at the Monroe City Council meeting Tuesday (Feb.25) night. Monroe resident Nicholas Farrar presented a letter to council members(Eddie Clark was absent)”respectfully” asking that the city council “votes to authorize the request of an Attorney General Opinion(AGO)in regards to what Internal Affairs records are public and what is confidential”. The request by Farrar and other interested parties comes on the heels of a suit that the city filed in the Fourth Judicial District Court seeking a declaration concerning what documents in connection with an employee’s internal, investigatory file must be produced in response to a public records request. However, Farrar’s request according to his letter submitted to the city council pertains to only one officer-interim Police Chief Reginald “Reggie” Brown. The letter requests the records of Brown when his position was that of Cpl. Brown, not as chief. Farrar said upon submitting a formal request to City Attorney Angie Sturdivant, he was told that the request would take “5-10 days”, but instead of requesting an Attorney General Opinion on the matter, filed the suit instead. Farrar said that city could have used a package called IAPro that could produce the documents “in a matter of seconds”. An Attorney General’s opinion carries the legal weight of a judge’s opinion that can be used as to whether a matter is deemed legal and that it can proceed.

Farrar said that he would rather that the council vote to adopt a resolution requesting an Attorney General Opinion because he “fears” that any pending litigation could cost the taxpayers of Monroe $50,00--$100,000 in legal costs. Farrar also said that there is legal precedence to support their request. Farrar contends that although one man’s Internal Affairs record was requested, a campaign worker for the mayor’s reelection campaign “requested that all Internal Affairs record by MPD and later amended her request 45 officers. 15 of which are retired or have resigned and that 2 of those are deceased. Farrar’s letter without offering any specifics, and perhaps the real reason, speculate that based on rumors, the contents /release of Brown’s record if made public, “would sink” the Mayor’s hope of reelection. Those parties named in the suit filed by the city are Hanna Media, Edward “Eddie” Hakim and Farrar. Council Chairwoman Juanita Woods said that the council is not taking any action at the moment, that it would meet and confer. Attorney Sturdivant said that the city would not make any statement on pending litigation.