| Show 1 0 1 Dispute Erupts Over Release f i- i of Campus Crime Information Af tl Alison Thornton T Associate Editor officials are refusing to release the identities of crime victims victims victims vic vic- vic vic- tims contained on campus police reports despite a Utah law that classifies classifies classifies clas clas- such information as public By withholding such information information information tion the college is violating the states state's records open-records law known kno n nas as the Utah Government nt Records Access and Management Act or GRAMA said Jeff Hunt a Salt Lake attorney who represents the news media in of freedom formation for for- mation disputes Hunt was instrumental instrumental instrumental in in- in helping create the states state's records open-records law According to that law initial initial- i contact reports written by police are public The law passed in 1991 defines initial-contact initial reports as asan asan asan an initial written or recorded report however titled prepared by peace officers engaged in public s u patrol i. or response duties i r. r describing j officials ly taken in response to either a public complaint about bout or the discovery discovery discovery dis dis- dis- dis covery of an apparent violation of law It goes on to describe the information contained in the reports reports names names of victims date time place and nature of of complaint complaint com com- plaint For several weeks the Horizon has tried to obtain such reports from the colleges college's police department On Nov 19 a request was made to see the campus police reports but an officer with the Public Safety Department refused to release the records A written request to examine the reports as called for in the state law was then submitted to Clearly from a legal and public standpoint this is wrong wrong Jeff Hunt Robert Beebe assistant to the vice president in charge of planning and development Beebe asked that a separate written request form prepared by bythe bythe bythe the college be filled out and sub sub- The request sought copies of campus police reports for the previous week Beebe R mailed t ieh to th j t f Horizon during the final week of fall quarter but the names of victims victims victims vic vic- vic vic- tims had been blacked out Beebe said students should know what type of crimes are happening happening happening hap hap- pening on en campus and where they are being committed But Beebe and Brent Goodfellow who oversees oversees oversees over over- sees the police department in his role as executive assistant to the college president decided that the names of victims were private te Goodfellow who is also a state legislator said the names n mes of victims had been blacked out to protect the victims He said th the language of the law reads that government agencies can decide whether the names can be given But Hunt said That was the case a few years ago or at least they campus police thought it was but its it's not the case now G Goodfellow also also said the college college college col col- lege police department does doe not keep initial-contact initial reports He said the reports that had been released were not initial contact contact I-contact reports but a combination com on of severa several reports He said the police department was being op open n. n In another case the police department refused to give information information information mation about a alleged harassment harassment harassment harass harass- ment case Last week police JoAnn Esquibel told a Horizon editor the police depart department ment was not allowed to talk with the Horizon zon She said she r. V 3 t Hixi o hi i lik I ot l tc to torti w rif e n a r but n wt 4 11 i e v j v a awas n.- n. au 0 a paper 11 was just following orders She said a formal written GRAMA re request request request re- re quest would have to be made The GRAMA request has been submitted but as of press time had hadnot hadnot hadnot not been answered When asked about this particular particular particular par par- case Goodfellow said the story was not newsworthy He also said the victim in the case did not need to be harassed by the press Hunt the media attorney said that by wi withholding victims victims' f names Goodfellow was making r the decision on whether to talk to the press press for the victims and not allowing w- w al allowing lowing them to tell their side of the story Clearly from a legal and public standpoint this is wrong Hunt said You cant can't do a story on the victims victims victims vic vic- tims unless you know who t they ey are Hunt H u t Sat said d GRAMA specifically defines which government documents inthe in inthe the state are pu public lic Prior to the laws law's pass passage ge individual government government government govern govern- ment agencies in the state decided what information was public c. c In addition there was no time limit limiti i on when the agency must respond to a request information for Two sections in the law we were e written Hen for the protection of higher edu education but neither covers the campus police department department department depart depart- ment Hunt said Joel Campbell d a Deseret News r re c otter as- as t ta d A State i K Uni f i V v V T n police police departments departments provide access to their reports In addition other police agencies in Salt Lake Valley post their reports on a clipboard forthe for forthe the public to view he said of in Campbell follows formation issues as a member of the board of directors of the Utah chapter of the Society of Professional Professional Professional Journalists |
