PERAC Memo #35 - 2000: Public Records Status of Public Safety Personnel Home Addresses

Public Records Status of Public Safety Personnel Home Addresses

Summary

This memo notifies boards that Chapter 159 of the Acts of 2000 amended the Public Records Law to exempt from disclosure the home addresses and telephone numbers of public safety, judicial, and criminal justice personnel, as well as the names and contact information of their family members. Boards must review any records released under public records requests and redact this protected information before disclosure, though the information may still be provided to authorized employee organizations, nonprofit retiree associations, and criminal justice agencies as specified in the Act.

Full Text

PERAC MEMO #35/2000 M E M O R A N D U M TO: All Retirement Boards FROM: Joseph E. Connarton, Executive Director RE: Public Records Status of Public Safety Personnel Home Addresses DATE: August 15, 2000 Section 133 of Chapter 159 of the Acts of 2000 (the FY 2001 state budget) rewrites a portion of the state Public Records Law (G.L. c. 66, § 10(d)) to protect the home addresses and telephone numbers of law enforcement, judicial, prosecutorial, state Department of Youth Services, state Department of Social Services, state Department of Correction and any other public safety or criminal justice personnel from disclosure under the law. Additionally, the names, home addresses and telephone numbers of family members of such personnel are also exempted from disclosure. Retirement boards and the Commission are now specifically exempted from mandatory disclosure. As a result of this change, retirement boards may not release any addresses or telephone numbers of public safety personnel or the names, addresses or telephone numbers of their families. All records which are being released under the state Public Records Law should be scrutinized to assure such information is not included. Any such information on a record which is being released should be redacted or removed before the record is released. Employee organizations under G.L. c. 150E, nonprofit organizations for retired public personnel established under G.L. c. 180, and criminal justice agencies under G.L. c. 6, § 167 continue to be entitled to received the home addresses and telephone numbers of public safety personnel under a provision of this Act. We trust the foregoing is of assistance. Additional memoranda on other aspects of the state budget will be forthcoming. If you have further questions or concerns, please contact this office.