OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington Supreme Court says the public release of investigative records does not violate the privacy of an officer who was accused of sexual assault but never charged.
Justices largely agreed on that point Thursday, but a smaller majority decided that Bainbridge Island Police Officer Steven Cain’s identity should be redacted when the documents are released.
Open government lawyer Michele Earl-Hubbard says the ruling is a victory for disclosure because she was seeing an increasing trend of law enforcement departments withholding documents. She says this will allow the public to get a closer look at internal investigations, although she’s concerned that redacting the names of the accused will make it difficult to expose workers who have multiple complaints filed against them.
