Latvala proposal to shield police officer data angers open government advocates
TALLAHASSEE -- The father-and-son lawmaking team of Sen. Jack Latvala and Rep. Chris Latvala has angered open government advocates by seeking to expand privacy protections for current and former police officers as well as their parents, siblings and even their girlfriends.
The two Pinellas legislators have filed similar bills in the Legislature that would keep secret driver license numbers, license tag numbers, email addresses and "former places of employment" for current and former law enforcement officers.
The bills say the new exemptions are needed to protect officers from physical or emotional harm or stalking
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...In Tallahassee, Barbara Petersen of the First Amendment Foundation, which tracks legislative proposals to exempt information from disclosure, said the bills would create new barriers to Floridians' constitutional right of access to information. She called on both lawmakers to withdraw their proposals.
"The proposed exemptions effectively eliminate oversight and accountability for these personnel by taking their entire history out of public view," Petersen wrote. "Public oversight and government accountability are the bedrocks of open government."
Shielding police officer records can have consequences. In 2011, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune ran a series detailing how the process for investigating and disciplining Florida police officers and prison guards has been flawed at several levels, allowing troubled lawmen to return to work after repeated acts of misconduct.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/latvala-proposal-to-shield-police-officer-data-angers-open-government/2221226
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Some dirty cop somewhere is waiting for this to become law so they can pop a bottle of expensive champaign. I don't need to tell anyone how this is a baaaaaad idea. 
