Does the bill passed last week by the Rhode Island House of Representatives that would change the police bill of rights, known as LEOBOR, mark a setback for transparency in government?
It depends who you ask.
In a web posting Monday, the New England First Amendment Coalition and affiliated groups say the bill would keep secret some body-cam footage — involving minor departmental violations by police — that were previously subject to the state’s open records law.
“It is deeply troubling and sadly ironic that, as a result of this provision, a bill designed to promote greater police transparency does the opposite,” NEFAC said in a memo with other groups including the Rhode Island ACLU and Common Cause of Rhode Island. “Unlike LEOBOR, police body-worn cameras are a fairly new feature of policing in Rhode Island. Prohibiting the release of a wide swath of video sets a troubling precedent and undermines the very purpose of having the cameras.”
However, House Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio said the latest LEOBOR bill does not change the materials subject to the state’s open records law, the Access to Public Records Act.
“In fact, any video, including video from a body camera, document, record or other information, would continue to be accessible to the press and/or public through the provisions of the Access to Public Records Act,” Shekarchi and Ruggerio said in a joint statement. “The language in the bill does not change access to this information, and only relates to disclosure by the police chief in circumstances where the officer is suspended for minor violations.”
Supporters hailed the LEOBOR bill, which passed the House on a 58-14 vote after a two-hour debate, as a compromise that significantly improves the controversial law governing police discipline. Critics said the bill did not go far enough.
The bill was initially scheduled for a vote Tuesday in the Senate. That vote is now expected to be held Thursday at the earliest.
