UPDATE

07/17/95

The Supreme Court of California declined to review in early July a California Court of Appeal ruling that police personnel records are exempt from the state open records act.

The appellate court held that the records fall within an open records act exemption for confidential materials because state criminal law makes police personnel records confidential, subject to limited exceptions such as discovery.

The case arose in early 1993 when the San Francisco Bay Guardian asked the city of Richmond for personnel records to investigate allegations of excessive force by Richmond police. The case will now return to the Superior Court of Contra Costa County in Martinez for final determination consistent with the appeal court’s ruling. (City of Richmond v. Superior Ct.; Media Counsel: James Wheaton, Oakland)

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