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ACLU/SC Dismayed with Police Commission Decision to Keep Officers' Identity Secret

Tuesday, February 7, 2006

“The ACLU of Southern California is enormously dismayed that the Police Commission secretly changed its longstanding, and appropriate, policy of releasing names of police officers involved in shootings.

While police officers of course have an interest in maintaining the privacy of their personnel records, shielding their names from public accountability is a mistake and is not required by law. Police officers who wear their names on their badges have no expectation of privacy in their names themselves. By contrast, shedding sunlight on police activity, including through public identification of officers involved in shootings, strongly bolsters public confidence in the workings of the department sworn to protect and serve the community.”

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