Judge denies Connecticut police union request to halt part of bill over release of disciplinary records
The law makes the records available to the public even when a law enforcement member is cleared of any wrongdoing
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A federal judge on Tuesday denied an emergency request by the union that represents Connecticut state police troopers to halt part of a reform bill that makes police disciplinary records publicly available.
In his ruling, District of Connecticut Judge Charles Haight wrote that the Connecticut State Police Union did not meet the standard in its argument that the legislation violates its collective bargaining agreement, which bars the release of some internal reports.
The Connecticut State Police Union argued the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s contractual protections in a request for a preliminary injunction for part of the law.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The union does not "identify a broader class of individuals whose similar disciplinary records are not subject to disclosure in light of the new legislation," the ruling reads.
Calls and messages to the union from Fox News were not returned.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut praised the ruling as a step in the right direction.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The state police union lawsuit seeks to hide police disciplinary records from the public," it tweeted. "It prioritizes shielding a police agency and officers from scrutiny over the public's right to know what our government is doing."
The union filed a lawsuit against the state in August over the law, arguing that it contradicts its current contract by making some internal reports public. The law came amid nationwide calls for police reform and transparency as protests raged across the country over police-involved killings.
In July, Gov. Ned Lamont signed into law a bill that included the disclosure of officer disciplinary records regardless of any previously negotiated collective bargaining agreements.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The law said the disciplinary matters can be publicly disclosed even if found to be unsubstantiated, The CT Mirror reported. The union argued that law enforcement officials would “suffer immediate and irreparable harm” if that information were made public.
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Haight said a plaintiff must show a likelihood of success on the merits of a constitutional claim to show a claim on irreparable harm is warranted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That conclusion, standing alone, does not entitle the CSPU to succeed on the merits of its Contract Clause claim," he wrote.