When he ran for mayor of San Jose, Chuck Reed promised greater transparency. On Wednesday that promise will be put to the test. A committee, headed by the Mayor, will decide whether to succumb to pressure by journalists and citizens’ groups to release information that the SJPD says will invade privacy and hinder its ability to fight crime.
At stake are two cases, where citizens have petitioned the city for the release of information. In the first case, Nicholas Todd Shackelford claims that the police were wrongly summoned to his home during a domestic dispute. He contends that the caller made a false report, causing distress to him, his wife, and their five-year-old daughter. Police claim that 911 calls are exempt from disclosure.
The second request is for a list of arrest warrants for a San Jose woman currently living in Santa Cruz. A neighbor, John Colby, who made the request, says that the apartment complex is infested with gang-related activities, and that this led to the murder of nineteen-year-old Carl Reimer last April. In that case, police claim that the warrant was dropped.
Reed has promised to examine all requests on a case-by-case basis.
Read More at the Mercury News.
