Monday, March 23, 2015

Most transparent administration

EVAH!
The Obama administration set a new record again for more often than ever censoring government files or outright denying access to them last year under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, according to a new analysis of federal data by The Associated Press.

The government took longer to turn over files when it provided any, said more regularly that it couldn’t find documents, and refused a record number of times to turn over files quickly that might be especially newsworthy.

It also acknowledged in nearly 1 in 3 cases that its initial decisions to withhold or censor records were improper under the law — but only when it was challenged.
Its backlog of unanswered requests at year’s end grew remarkably by 55 percent to more than 200,000. It also cut by 375, or about 9 percent, the number of full-time employees across government paid to look for records. That was the fewest number of employees working on the issue in five years.


Sounds like this CoP actually wants to clean things up; how many times have you heard this before:
Similarly, when an officer moonlighting as a security guard was accused of punching a college student at a party at a Beltsville warehouse, Hylton suspended not just the officer accused of violence but also four others who might have witnessed something and not reported it.

In that case, Hylton said he wanted to send a "clear-cut message" about reporting misconduct.

But he acknowledged that he has acted more aggressively when it comes to police wrongdoing than other chiefs have, suspending or firing officers and offering his candid opinions to reporters. He said doing so maintains the department's "credibility" with residents - proving to them that the department can police itself.
In the People's Republic of Maryland, yet.  A place where they can raid the wrong house, shoot the dogs and terrify the people, and "We followed procedure, so stop bitching."
He may be a jerk in other ways, but in this this chief seems on the right track.


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