By Amanda Palmeira Following recent excessive force cases across the country, many states are quickly legislating the use of body-worn cameras for police officers. The National Conference of State Legislatures reported that 34 states, as of May 18, 2015, were considering legislation to address this law enforcement issue. Within New England, states have responded to the technology to different degrees, and in some cases, not […]

By Zachary Carlton The New Jersey Supreme Court recently ruled that police dashboard camera footage should be released under the state’s public records law in most circumstances, a decision that states grappling with similar access issues ought to consider. The laws on releasing police video — most often taken with dashboard or body cameras — in […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org As police departments around the country increasingly use body cameras, many questions arise about access to these video records under freedom of information laws and how journalists can use the videos ethically. On April 8, the New England First Amendment Coalition will conduct a panel discussion of […]

FOI Guide Home Connecticut | Maine | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | Rhode Island | Vermont | Federal FOIA (Last updated July 2, 2024) The public faces several barriers to accessing police misconduct records in Rhode Island. Although legislators recently reformed the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights to allow greater transparency in misconduct cases, […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition and a group of Rhode Island open government advocates are expressing serious concerns about a bill requiring police departments to keep secret certain body-worn camera footage that would otherwise be subject to the state’s public records law. Two companion […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition testified today in support of a Rhode Island bill that would strengthen the state’s public records law by making long-overdue common sense improvements. “The Access to Public Records Act has not been significantly reformed in more than a decade,” […]

Court Hearings to Be Open as Feds Seek Charges Against Clients in Mass. Brothel Bust Case NBC Boston 12.21.23 Greg Sullivan, the president of the New England’s First Amendment Coalition, said the rule was originally put in place to protect those who are falsely accused. He is also calling for more transparency. “I would love […]

To Mass. Trial Court Re: Electronic Access to Criminal Case Information (Dec. 21, 2023) We want to bring to the court’s attention what we believe is a violation of its rules on accessing electronic records and ask that this violation be immediately remedied. According to the Uniform Rules on Public Access to Court Records Rule […]

Please note that NEFAC submitted similar testimony for House Bill No. 5454 which proposes the same changes as the Senate legislation described below. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition testified today in support of a Rhode Island bill that would strengthen the state’s “often failing public records […]

Moore v. United States of America (U.S. 2022) The technology at issue in this case poses an untenable threat to confidential association, and with it the freedom to gather news. Too many lower courts have acquiesced in a framework that would give the government discretion to surveil citizens in the most constitutionally sensitive of locations […]