A judge ruled Thursday that the Orange County Sheriff’s Department must publicly disclose records from shootings, use of force and some misconduct by its deputies regardless of when the incidents occurred.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Nathan Scott denied a preliminary injunction request by the union that represents rank-and-file deputies, which sought to block the department from disclosing records from incidents that took place before Jan. 1, when a new statewide transparency law went into effect.
The decision is the latest victory for media outlets and open government organizations that have opposed similar legal requests by law enforcement unions around the state. Last week, a Los Angeles County judge denied a restraining order sought by police unions representing Los Angeles Police Department officers and L.A. County sheriff’s deputies.
The Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs filed an appeal earlier this week but the Los Angeles Police Protective League announced it would not, saying in a statement that “we believe all police agencies should fully comply with the eligible requests for records. Our concern was strictly limited to protecting the privacy rights of officers for records created prior to the effective date of [Senate Bill] 1421.”
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