New Haven could face fines over FOI order to release crime-scene video

The Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission may fine New Haven city officials for not complying with an order to give the New Haven Register a tape of a shooting in which a local teenager was killed.

The five-member FOIC unanimously voted to compel release of the tape and to hold a hearing to determine if the city’s refusal to comply with the order warrants financial penalties – which could range from from $20 to $1,000. A city spokeswoman told the Register that the city does not have the tape; the state’s attorney’s office does, but refused to release it because it is not required to do so under FOI laws. The city can’t hand out a tape it doesn’t have, the spokeswoman said.