WICS News in Springfield reports that an investigation from the station titled “Ready, Set, Shred” has prompted the city to change its FOIA policies.
WICS’s eight-week investigation found evidence that the city destroyed documents the same day it answered a FOIA request saying those documents didn’t exist.
On Wednesday, WICS broadcast this update:
After our investigation brought that to light, the city’s police chief and attorney have called it quits: one retiring, the other resigning.
In an impromptu news conference…here’s what the mayor said when a reporter asked if he would get an Internal Affairs file if it was requested under the Freedom of Information Act.
“One of the things that we want to do is to follow the law, and we want to be transparent,” Houston said. “But one of the things you also have to keep in mind is when we deal with Freedom of Information, there are exemptions. And those exemptions are in state law. And if there is a need to use those exemptions, we will, in fact, use them.”
Houston also told reporters, “Make the request, and we’ll see.”
I have a feeling they’ll do just that. We’ll be staying tuned.