© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Columbia Police Union Sues City Over Public Records Requests

Columbia Police Department logo
File Photo
/
KBIA

  A union representing Columbia police officers is suing the city of Columbia after officials refused to release public records or asked "exorbitant" fees to fulfill the request.

The Columbia Police Officers Association sought emails between police Chief Ken Burton and Deputy Chief Jill Schlude from June 1 to July 22. The lawsuit says the city did not reply in a timely manner and then said it would cost nearly $840 to fulfill the request.

The union later made a request for copies of an anonymous survey officers filled out to measure police morale. The city refused to release that information, arguing the surveys were closed records because they contained information that might identify the employees.

City spokesman Steven Sapp says city officials are reviewing the lawsuit Friday.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.