From the Charlotte Observer (11/23/10): In an important test for North Carolina's recently revised public records law, a judge on Monday ordered the city to release documents outlining the suspensions and firing of former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Marcus Jackson.
Six women have accused Jackson of sexually assaulting them while he was on duty. The former police officer is in jail facing charges of sexual battery, felonious restraint, extortion and interfering with a 911 call.
The city had refused to release information from Jackson’s personnel file, while critics argued that disciplinary information was essential to evaluate the police department’s oversight of Jackson.
The ruling is a victory for open government advocates, and clarified that disciplinary information is a public record even if a government employee is under criminal investigation.
“It’s important for citizens to know why public employees are fired,” said Jon Buchan, who argued the case for the Observer and other media outlets. “Before now, that was just a mystery in most cases.”