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A thread on police personnel files:
I’ve spent much of the past five weeks filing Freedom of Information Law requests to obtain files now available to the public through the repeal of 50a, the state law that shielded them from public view for decades.
I’ve spent much of the past five weeks filing Freedom of Information Law requests to obtain files now available to the public through the repeal of 50a, the state law that shielded them from public view for decades.
I’ve filed 110 requests across departments from WNY. For the most part, it has been a very frustrating process (which I expected and understand, since the law in brand new). But we have to ask for information that’s never been available to us without a court order.
Last week, Genesee County Sheriff William Sheron Jr. invited me to Batavia to review his file without a FOIL request. Undersheriff Brad Mazur also made his file available to me.
Between the two of them, they have 64 years in law enforcement.
Between the two of them, they have 64 years in law enforcement.
I was very curious to see what exactly was contained in these files.
Sheron has been with the department since 1977 and two-thirds of his file is made up of training records.
Here’s Sheron signing over his file to me.
Sheron has been with the department since 1977 and two-thirds of his file is made up of training records.
Here’s Sheron signing over his file to me.
Here’s Mazur doing the same.
After signing the release forms, Sheron and Mazur spent the next two hours walking me through their files. In Genesee County, they’re known as career development files, not personnel files.
Because each department has a different name for them, it has led to some confusion during the FOIL process. Semantics really, but some depts have stated they don’t have personnel files, because they call them something different. So we’ve had to find the proper names for each.
This is Sheron’s file. It begins in 1977 with his background check and goes up to his appointment as sheriff in 2017. It includes commendations, disciplinary records, promotions, vacation requests, key-card access forms, newspaper clippings, press releases.
It also includes every ID badge he has had in his 40-year career.
Across both sets of files, there is only one disciplinary action. Sheron was reprimanded in 1978 when he was a 19-year-old emergency dispatcher for improper use of the CB radio. I asked if it was for talking to women, he just smiled.
He said he learned his lesson and accepted his punishment (which was basically just a letter of censure).
There’s even a 1981 commendation when Sheron was a jail deputy and an inmate threw a piece of cherry pie at him. Sheron was applauded for his restraint.
There’s even a 1981 commendation when Sheron was a jail deputy and an inmate threw a piece of cherry pie at him. Sheron was applauded for his restraint.
Sheron is the first elected official in WNY to make his file public. (I wasn’t allowed to take pics of it, because it hasn’t been redacted yet.)
He said he believes in transparency, especially in an election year. We still have a pending FOIL for the other 50 deputies there.
He said he believes in transparency, especially in an election year. We still have a pending FOIL for the other 50 deputies there.
The public has a right to know, Sheron says here.
And he believes the overwhelming majority of information contained in all police files is positive, because officers are motivated to do the right things. But he concedes that’s not always the case.
So we’re not done asking for transparency. I still have more FOILs to file. This will be a long-term effort and I’m thankful to have the support of the Gannett NY team behind me. Statewide, we’ve filed more than 200 requests. We haven’t gotten any information back yet.
But I’ve received other offers to inspect files in person. I prefer the records electronically, so they can be shared with the public. We’re hopeful.
Along with @JonCampbellGAN, @JonBandler, @PSBABorrelli, @MsSabaAli, we examined what we’ve learned since 50a was repealed and offer some perspective on trying to obtain police personnel files. Thanks for following along. https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2020/07/23/police-disciplinary-files-still-hard-get-ny-despite-50-a-repeal/5446598002/
