Georgia High Court Gives Police Investigations a Long Shelf Life

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In a 4-3 decision, Georgia’s Supreme Court ruled that police can deny media requests for records of “pending investigations” even in cases where the case has continued for more than a decade and there is little evidence of current police work. The court called it a “hard fact of law enforcement” that some cases remain unsolved for long periods of time. It said records should be open only when “all direct litigation” involving both investigation and prosecution is final. (7/1/08)