New York – A judge has ordered New York City to release a consultant’s review of its 911 system. Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration has been fighting to keep it private.
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Supreme Court Justice Arthur F. Engoron (ehn-GOHR’-ahn) said Monday that his decision stemmed from a belief in open government and transparency.
Engoron says that the report and all its drafts by the taxpayer funded consultant belong to New York City residents.
The judge compared the city’s privacy claim to President Richard Nixon’s claims of executive privilege during the Watergate scandal.
City lawyers argue that the review is still a draft. They say an order to release it could prevent policymakers from freely expressing their opinions in the future.
A city Law Department spokeswoman says the city might appeal.
the stuped democracy of the so called Judges, transparecy on opinions of policy makers, is not in the best interest of the safety & security of the city. this will destroy the U.S.
Dear anonymous:
Transparency is vital to a functioning democracy. As Justice Brandeis said, “If the broad light of day could be let in upon men’s actions, it would purify them as the sun disinfects.” Knowing what our politicians are doing, how our tax money is spent, what rules and regulations are proposed (and who is proposing them and why), is necessary to prevent tyranny and abuses of power. Now, I don’t know what is in this particular report (yet) but wouldn’t it be nice to know who authorized all the price overruns, why the dispatch systems used by Police and Fire aren’t integrated (BTW, that was supposed to be one of the big “efficiencies” and long-term cost savings of this project…but it didn’t happen and they spent $$$ to patch the systems together), etc. I doubt the report will go into how the dispatch center handles sensitive information, tracks detectives following a suspect, dispatches counter-terrorism teams, or manages covert surveillance. Yes, there are some specific, isolated items that should remain confidential but they are the exception, not the rule.