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KANAWHA'S E-911 CENTER FOLLOWS 'SUNSHINE LAW' - Calhoun State Police Behind The Loop |
| (01/12/2009) |
| COMMENT By Bob Weaver Following West Virginia's public information laws, Kanawha County E-911 is expanding the public's right to know to a new level. Metro 911 has set up a new online call log meant to give residents and news outlets up-to-the-minute information on 911 emergency calls throughout the county. It makes available what calls are currently going on and what calls have recently cleared, according to the president of the Kanawha County Commission, Kent Carper. "911 in conjunction with law enforcement has a responsibility to not only dispatch but to make the public aware," said Carper. The West Virginia State Police in Calhoun County disagrees. They frequently complain about public information interfering with their investigations, denying Freedom of Information Requests related to generic requests about reports of crimes. The Hur Herald has never violated the public information laws, nor has Calhoun's 911 Center. The Herald follows the usual and customary guidelines of reporting incidents that are allowed under the WV State Code's public information section. Unlike other jurisdictions, the Herald relies mostly on scanner broadcasts, and other official and un-official sources to provide the public information. In 2008, it was impossible to obtain information about the numbers of property crimes reported to State Police in Calhoun, while citizen reports indicated there was a crime spree in the county. Sources said about 35-40 ATVs were stolen, the State Police denied a Freedom of Information request confirming the number. In Kanawha County the new online call log has a map that will show viewers exactly where a call is located. The Kanawha center says that the goal is to eventually have the system set up so you can click on different calls on the map and find out what's going on. The log will also eventually have information about what happened on the call, whether there were injuries in car accidents or whether a house fire call is really a house fire. Medical calls will not be included in the log, along with calls that may jeopardize an investigation. The center head says "This is something that will help us get the information out, and it should help cut the number of incoming calls [from media outlets] to the center."
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