EDITORIAL: Shredding transparency

If you need more examples of how far some public officials will go to keep information away from the taxpayers they serve, take a look at what’s going on in California.

A new California state law goes into effect Tuesday that gives the public access to police shooting and internal investigation records — records that could help families find out what happened with their loved ones and help the community assess how well law enforcement officials police themselves.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Senate Bill 1421 gives the public access to records of internal investigations of officer-involved shootings and other major uses of force. It also removes the shroud of secrecy surrounding confirmed instances of police committing sexual assault or lying while on duty.

California law requires departments to keep such records for at least five years. But the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood apparently has documents dating to 1991. So the City Council there voted this month to shred the older records before the new law goes on the books.

City officials insist there is no connection between the statute and the shredding. Instead, the Times reports, they say the documents are “obsolete, occupy valuable space and are of no further use to the police department.” Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. told the Times that it’s “ridiculous” to think they city is trying to “beat the clock” by destroying the paperwork.

Of course it is. Perish the thought!

In fact, this type of bureaucratic arrogance regarding public records is a matter of distressing routine, as supporters of transparency and open government can attest. The Inglewood City Council’s decision may technically be legal, but it’s an outrageous affront to the spirit of the new law and an egregious example of public-sector hubris.

As to the point that the old records “are of no future use to the police department,” so what? The Times reports the Inglewood Police Department has a reputation for secrecy and using excessive force. Is there any doubt that the records have the potential to deeply embarrass current and former city officials?

Earl Ofari Hutchinson, a longtime community activist who has worked with family members of those killed in confrontations with the Inglewood police, told the Times that releasing the records could give families new insights and legal redress related to the loss of their loved ones. It would also provide city residents with valuable information to determine whether the local police are more interested in justice or cover-ups.

The Inglewood fiasco shines a bright spotlight on how too many public officials are more interested in protecting their cushy sinecures than serving the taxpayers who make their jobs possible. There’s a word to describe what happened here: disgraceful.