National Conference on Organized Crime - Security and Privacy Considerations - Freedom of Information Act

• NCJ Number: 81689
• Author(s): M C Lawton
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 0 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; National College of District Attorneys
• Publication Format: Film
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. Videotape, 55 minutes, color, 1 inch - Part of the National Conference on Organized Crime held in Washington, DC on October 1-4, 1975.

Annotation

The address focuses on two Federal acts which affect law enforcement interagency cooperation at the Federal, State, and local levels: the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, enacted in 1966, and the Privacy Act of 1974.

Abstract

The FOI Act gives the public access to information in possession of the Federal executive branch. It mandates the indexing and publication of agency policies, opinions, final decisions, and procedures, and it mandates disclosure upon request of other agency information. Nine exemptions from the disclosure requirements are discussed and the act's three subsections are explained. Problems with the act's requirements that troubled law enforcement are examined, such as the confidentiality of law enforcement files. Revision of the act in 1974 provided that only individual records, not whole police files, would be exempt. The Privacy Act of 1974 is designed to reduce the disclosure of personal data about individuals both within and without an individual's consent. Strike forces and task forces composed of Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers are affected by the legislation in their ability to work with each other and with their parent agencies. The Federal legislation is being used as a model by State legislatures and a number of States are considering the adoption of analogous provisions. The speaker is a Deputy Assistant Attorney General. For the final workshop, see NCJ 81691.