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Experience a real eye-opener
| Friday, Jan 12 2007 10:44 AM
Last Updated: Friday, Jan 12 2007 10:44 AM
Helping with the recent Californians Aware statewide audit of law enforcement agencies was a very eye-opening experience. As the Web videographer for Bakersfield.com, I come from a filmmaking background rather than a journalism background.
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I didn’t realize that public safety officials would be so reluctant to hand over information that is supposed to be public record.
Of the four departments I visited, the Delano Police Department was the only one that did a great job helping me find what I was looking for.
They were pleasant, quick and easy to deal with.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Taft Police Department was extremely difficult from the moment I walked in the door. The sergeant I dealt with was very short with me, obviously very annoyed I was there. Rather than try to help me, he tried to shoo me out the door as quickly as possible. It was disappointing to be turned away so brazenly.
I also found it ironic that at the Bakersfield office of the California Highway Patrol, the laws for requesting public information were hanging on the front desk. These laws state that the requester does not have to reveal any personal information to receive public documents. Yet, when I asked for the reports, I was required to reveal my name, show my driver’s license, and tell my affiliation.
I also visited the Bakersfield Police Department, and they were so busy they shooed me out the door as soon as I requested records.
In my opinion, requesters should not be put in a position where they feel uncomfortable asking for public records. I think an average score of F-, like Kern County earned, is unacceptable. I would encourage each office to update its staff on the laws of public record requests and move toward change.