Ohio Supreme Court Says Photos of Police Officers Can Be Withheld

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The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that photos of police officers do not have to be released as public records under state law. The court said in suits brought by two newspapers whose requests for photos had been denied that the photos come under an exemption that shields records that identify a person as a law enforcement officer. The newspapers questioned whether the law might also allow departments to withhold names of officers or withhold incident reports but the court focused only on the photograph issue. (8/17/05)