Virginia Bill Would Open Past Police Investigation Records To Public

A bill is making headway in the Virginia House of Delegates that would mandate criminal investigation files become pubic record when a court case is over…or when it’s been at least three years since police and prosecutors decided not to pursue charges. The standard practice is usually to deny the request for records from police departments, because it can be time consuming going through the records to determine if they should be released to the public. The criminal investigation exemption is so broad it protects not only active ongoing cases but also long forgotten cases. The Virginia Association of Police Chiefs and state law enforcement agencies oppose the legislation.