Amendment to arrest records bill catches transparency advocates off guard

HARTFORD, Conn. – The head of the state’s Freedom of Information Commission was among those surprised to learn that a bill that would make arrest information available to the public was amended Monday by the Judiciary Committee.

Colleen Murphy, executive director of the Freedom of Information Commission, said the following day that she was unaware of an amendment that narrowed the scope of information a police department would have to give the public regarding an arrest. She said she was having trouble obtaining a copy of the amendment, which state Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, said was “written on the fly.”

The amendment was still not available on the legislature’s website four days later on Friday afternoon.

See the complete story at CT News Junkie.