LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled that reports from police officers that explain why they use force against someone are not exempt from the state's public record law.
The state's highest court issued its opinion Thursday in a case stemming from an incident in which a Little Rock police officer used force against Chris Erwin outside a restaurant last year.
Erwin's attorney requested the use-of-force reports under the Freedom of Information Act. When he didn't get the records, he filed a petition against the police chief.
A lower court said the reports weren't exempt from the public records law. The Supreme Court upheld that decision and pointed out that it interprets exemptions to the public records law narrowly and in favor of disclosure.
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