Fight for public records escalates

A Milwaukee-based public interest law firm has opened a second front in a legal war over  Wisconsin police censoring names and other key parts from reports if the information came from driver’s license records.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty on Tuesday filed a lawsuit on behalf of a reporter with Wisconsin Reporter, a conservative news organization based in Madison, against the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. It contends the department unlawfully blacked out identifying information in a report about someone ticketed for disorderly conduct after reportedly vandalized GOP signs at the county fair in July.

The department claims the redactions are required under the federal Drivers Privacy Protection Act, or DPPA. Many Wisconsin law enforcement departments began the practice at the urging of lawyers with the Municipal League of Wisconsin and its insurer.

Via Conservative legal group joins fight against police report censorship @ JS Proof and Hearsay Blog.

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