Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court ruled that the state police must publicly disclose its policy on monitoring social media, rejecting the agency’s claim that full disclosure might compromise public safety. The court’s decision was celebrated by civil liberties advocates and brings a six-year legal battle to a close.
All four Democratic justices supported the majority decision which asserted that the lower Commonwealth Court exceeded its authority in granting the state police another opportunity to keep policy details secret. Recent developments underscores the importance of transparency in law enforcement and the public’s right to understand police practices.
Though state police argued that transparency could hinder investigations, American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania lawyer Andrew Christy highlighted that it’s crucial for citizens to know what law enforcement is doing in order to hold them accountable through their elected representatives. The majority opinion found that the heavy redactions applied to the policy pages were unjustified and that Pennsylvania’s Right-To-Know Law does not permit additional fact-finding to be ordered by the court when not sought by the state police.
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Link: AP News
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