As used in this Chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates,
the following terms mean:
Any meeting, record or vote closed to the public.
If requested by a member of the public, copies provided as detailed in Section 120.100 of this Chapter, if duplication equipment is available.
All matters which relate in any way to performance of the
City's functions or the conduct of its business.
Any legislative, administrative or governmental entity created
by the Constitution or Statutes of this State, orders or ordinances
of the City, judicial entities when operating in an administrative
capacity or by executive order, including:
Any advisory committee or commission appointed by the Mayor
or Board of Aldermen.
Any department or division of the City.
Any other legislative or administrative governmental deliberative
body under the direction of three (3) or more elected or appointed
members having rule-making or quasi-judicial power.
Any committee appointed by or at the direction of any of the
entities and which is authorized to report to any of the above-named
entities, any advisory committee appointed by or at the direction
of any of the named entities for the specific purpose of recommending,
directly to the public governmental body's governing board or
its Chief Administrative Officer, policy or policy revisions or expenditures
of public funds.
Any quasi-public governmental body. The term "quasi-public governmental
body" means any person, corporation or partnership organized or authorized
to do business in this State pursuant to the provisions of Chapters
352, 353 or 355, RSMo., or unincorporated association which either:
Has as its primary purpose to enter into contracts with public
governmental bodies or to engage primarily in activities carried out
pursuant to an agreement or agreements with public governmental bodies;
or
Performs a public function, as evidenced by a statutorily or
ordinance-based capacity, to confer or otherwise advance, through
approval, recommendation or other means, the allocation or issuance
of tax credits, tax abatement, public debt, tax exempt debt, rights
of eminent domain, or the contracting of lease-back agreements on
structures whose annualized payments commit public tax revenues; or
any association that directly accepts the appropriation of money from
the City, but only to the extent that a meeting, record or vote relates
to such appropriation.
Any meeting of a public governmental body subject to this
Chapter at which any public business is discussed, decided or public
policy formulated, whether such meeting is conducted in person or
by means of communication equipment including, but not limited to,
conference call, video conference, Internet chat or Internet message
board. The term "public meeting" shall not include an informal gathering
of members of a public governmental body for ministerial or social
purposes when there is no intent to avoid the purposes of this Chapter,
but the term shall include a vote of all or a majority of the members
of a public governmental body, by electronic communication or any
other means, conducted in lieu of holding a public meeting with the
members of the public governmental body gathered at one (1) location
in order to conduct public business.
Any record, whether written or electronically stored, retained
by or of any public governmental body including any report, survey,
memorandum, or other document or study prepared for the public governmental
body by a consultant or other professional service paid for in whole
or in part by public funds, including records created or maintained
by private contractors under an agreement with a public governmental
body or on behalf of a public governmental body. The term "public
record" shall not include any internal memorandum or letter received
or prepared by or on behalf of a member of a public governmental body
consisting of advice, opinions and recommendations in connection with
the deliberative decision-making process of said body, unless such
records are retained by the public governmental body or presented
at a public meeting. Any documents or study prepared for a public
governmental body by a consultant or other professional service as
described in this Section shall be retained by the public governmental
body in the same manner as any other public record.
Any vote, whether conducted in person, by telephone, or by
any other electronic means, cast at any public meeting of any public
governmental body.
A.
All meetings, records and votes are open to the public, except that
any meeting, record or vote relating to one (1) or more of the following
matters, as well as other materials designated elsewhere in this Chapter,
shall be closed unless the public governmental body votes to make
them public:
1.
Legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving a public
governmental body and any confidential or privileged communications
between a public governmental body or its representatives and its
attorneys. However, any minutes, vote or settlement agreement relating
to legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving a public
governmental body or any agent or entity representing its interests
or acting on its behalf or with its authority, including any insurance
company acting on behalf of a public governmental body as its insured,
shall be made public upon final disposition of the matter voted upon
or upon the signing by the parties of the settlement agreement, unless,
prior to final disposition, the settlement agreement is ordered closed
by a court after a written finding that the adverse impact to a plaintiff
or plaintiffs to the action clearly outweighs the public policy considerations
of Section 610.011, RSMo.; however, the amount of any monies paid
by, or on behalf of, the public governmental body shall be disclosed;
provided, however, in matters involving the exercise of the power
of eminent domain, the vote shall be announced or become public immediately
following the action on the motion to authorize institution of such
a legal action. Legal work product shall be considered a closed record.
2.
Leasing, purchase or sale of real estate by a public governmental
body where public knowledge of the transaction might adversely affect
the legal consideration therefor. However, any minutes or vote or
public record approving a contract relating to the leasing, purchase
or sale of real estate by a public governmental body shall be made
public upon execution of the lease, purchase or sale of the real estate.
3.
Hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees
by a public governmental body when personal information about the
employee is discussed or recorded. However, any vote on a final decision,
when taken by a public governmental body, to hire, fire, promote or
discipline an employee of a public governmental body shall be made
available with a record of how each member voted to the public within
seventy-two (72) hours of the close of the meeting where such action
occurs; provided however, that any employee so affected shall be entitled
to prompt notice of such decision during the seventy-two-hour period
before such decision is made available to the public. As used in this
Subsection, the term "personal information" means information relating
to the performance or merit of individual employees.
4.
Non-judicial mental or physical health proceedings involving
an identifiable person, including medical, psychiatric, psychological,
or alcoholism or drug dependency diagnosis or treatment.
5.
Testing and examination materials, before the test or examination
is given or, if it is to be given again, before so given again.
6.
Welfare cases of identifiable individuals.
7.
Preparation, including any discussions or work product, on behalf
of a public governmental body or its representatives for negotiations
with employee groups.
8.
Software codes for electronic data processing and documentation
thereof.
9.
Specifications for competitive bidding, until either the specifications
are officially approved by the public governmental body or the specifications
are published for bid.
10.
Sealed bids and related documents, until the bids are opened;
and sealed proposals and related documents or any documents related
to a negotiated contract until a contract is executed, or all proposals
are rejected.
11.
Individually identifiable personnel records, performance ratings
or records pertaining to employees or applicants for employment, except
that this exemption shall not apply to the names, positions, salaries
and lengths of service of officers and employees of public agencies
once they are employed as such.
12.
Records which are protected from disclosure by law.
13.
Meetings and public records relating to scientific and technological
innovations in which the owner has a proprietary interest.
14.
Records relating to municipal hotlines established for the reporting
of abuse and wrongdoing.
15.
Confidential or privileged communications between a public governmental
body and its auditor, including all auditor work product; however,
all final audit reports issued by the auditor are to be considered
open records pursuant to this Chapter.
16.
Operational guidelines, policies and specific response plans
developed, adopted, or maintained by any public agency responsible
for law enforcement, public safety, first response, or public health
for use in responding to or preventing any critical incident which
is or appears to be terrorist in nature and which has the potential
to endanger individual or public safety or health. Financial records
related to the procurement of or expenditures relating to operational
guidelines, policies or plans purchased with public funds shall be
open. When seeking to close information pursuant to this exception,
the public governmental body shall affirmatively state in writing
that disclosure would impair the public governmental body's ability
to protect the security or safety of persons or real property, and
shall in the same writing state that the public interest in non-disclosure
outweighs the public interest in disclosure of the records.
17.
Existing or proposed security systems and structural plans of
real property owned or leased by a public governmental body, and information
that is voluntarily submitted by a non-public entity owning or operating
an infrastructure to any public governmental body for use by that
body to devise plans for protection of that infrastructure, the public
disclosure of which would threaten public safety.
a.
Records related to the procurement of or expenditures relating
to security systems purchased with public funds shall be open.
b.
When seeking to close information pursuant to this exception,
the public governmental body shall affirmatively state in writing
that disclosure would impair the public governmental body's ability
to protect the security or safety of persons or real property and
shall in the same writing state that the public interest in non-disclosure
outweighs the public interest in disclosure of the records.
c.
Records that are voluntarily submitted by a non-public entity
shall be reviewed by the receiving agency within ninety (90) days
of submission to determine if retention of the document is necessary
in furtherance of a State security interest. If retention is not necessary,
the documents shall be returned to the non-public governmental body
or destroyed.
18.
The portion of a record that identifies security systems or
access codes or authorization codes for security systems of real property.
19.
Records that identify the configuration of components or the
operation of a computer, computer system, computer network or telecommunications
network and would allow unauthorized access to or unlawful disruption
of a computer, computer system, computer network or telecommunications
network of a public governmental body. This exception shall not be
used to limit or deny access to otherwise public records in a file,
document, data file or database containing public records. Records
related to the procurement of or expenditures relating to such computer,
computer system, computer network or telecommunications network, including
the amount of monies paid by, or on behalf of, a public governmental
body for such computer, computer system, computer network or telecommunications
network, shall be open.
20.
Credit card numbers, personal identification numbers, digital
certificates, physical and virtual keys, access codes or authorization
codes that are used to protect the security of electronic transactions
between a public governmental body and a person or entity doing business
with a public governmental body. Nothing in this Section shall be
deemed to close the record of a person or entity using a credit card
held in the name of a public governmental body or any record of a
transaction made by a person using a credit card or other method of
payment for which reimbursement is made by a public governmental body.
Any member of a public governmental body who transmits any message
relating to public business by electronic means shall also concurrently
transmit that message to either the member's public office computer
or the custodian of records in the same format. The provisions of
this Section shall only apply to messages sent to two (2) or more
members of that body so that, when counting the sender, a majority
of the body's members are copied. Any such message received by
the custodian or at the member's office computer shall be a public
record subject to the exception of Section 610.021, RSMo.
A.
All public governmental bodies shall give notice of the time, date
and place of each meeting and its tentative agenda in a manner reasonably
calculated to advise the public of the matters to be considered, and
if the meeting will be conducted by telephone or other electronic
means, the notice of the meeting shall identify the mode by which
the meeting will be conducted and the designated location where the
public may observe and attend the meeting. If a public body plans
to meet by Internet chat, Internet message board or other computer
link, it shall post a notice of the meeting on its website in addition
to its principal office and shall notify the public how to access
that meeting. Reasonable notice shall include making available copies
of the notice to any representative of the news media who requests
notice of meetings of a particular public governmental body concurrent
with the notice being made available to the members of the particular
governmental body and posting the notice on a bulletin board or other
prominent place which is easily accessible to the public and clearly
designated for that purpose at the principal office of the body holding
the meeting, or if no such office exists, at the building in which
the meeting is to be held.
B.
Notice conforming with all of the requirements of Subsection (A) of this Section shall be given at least twenty-four (24) hours, exclusive of weekends and holidays when City Hall is closed, prior to the commencement of any meeting of a governmental body unless for good cause such notice is impossible or impractical, in which case as much notice as is reasonably possible shall be given.
C.
The City shall allow for the recording by audiotape, videotape or other electronic means of any open meeting. The City may establish guidelines regarding the manner in which such recording is conducted so as to minimize disruption to the meeting. No audio recording of any meeting, record or vote closed pursuant to the provisions of Section 120.020 shall be permitted without permission of the City; any person who violates this provision shall be guilty of an ordinance violation.
D.
Each governmental body proposing to hold a closed meeting or vote shall give notice of the time, date and place of such closed meeting or vote and the reason for holding it by reference to a specific exception allowed pursuant to Section 120.020 hereof. The notice shall be the same as described in Subsection (A) herein.
E.
A formally constituted subunit of a parent governmental body may
conduct a meeting without notice during a lawful meeting of the parent
governmental body, a recess in that meeting, or immediately following
that meeting if the meeting of the subunit is publicly announced at
the parent meeting and the subject of the meeting reasonably coincides
with the subjects discussed or acted upon by the parent governmental
body.
For any public meeting where a vote of the Board of Aldermen
is required to implement a tax increase, or with respect to a retail
development project when the Board of Aldermen votes to utilize the
power of eminent domain, create a transportation development district
or a community improvement district, or approve a redevelopment plan
that pledges public funds as financing for the project or plan, the
Board of Aldermen or any entity created by the City shall give notice
conforming with all the requirements of Subsection (1) of Section
610.020, RSMo., at least four (4) days before such entity may vote
on such issues, exclusive of weekends and holidays when the facility
is closed; provided that this Section shall not apply to any votes
or discussion related to proposed ordinances which require a minimum
of two (2) separate readings on different days for their passage.
The provisions of Subsection (4) of Section 610.020, RSMo., shall
not apply to any matters that are subject to the provisions of this
Section. No vote shall occur until after a public meeting on the matter
at which parties in interest and citizens shall have an opportunity
to be heard. If the notice required under this Section is not properly
given, no vote on such issues shall be held until proper notice has
been provided under this Section. Any legal action challenging the
notice requirements provided herein shall be filed within thirty (30)
days of the subject meeting, or such meeting shall be deemed to have
been properly noticed and held. For the purpose of this Section, a
tax increase shall not include the setting of the annual tax rates
provided for under Sections 67.110 and 137.055, RSMo.
A.
Except as set forth in Subsection (D) of Section 120.040, no meeting or vote may be closed without an affirmative public vote of the majority of a quorum of the public governmental body. The vote of each member of the governmental body on the question of closing a public meeting or vote and the specific reason for closing that public meeting or vote by reference to a specific Section of this Chapter shall be announced publicly at an open meeting of the governmental body and entered into the minutes.
B.
Any meeting or vote closed pursuant to Section 120.020 shall be closed only to the extent necessary for the specific reason announced to justify the closed meeting or vote. Public governmental bodies shall not discuss any business in a closed meeting, record or vote which does not directly relate to the specific reason announced to justify the closed meeting or vote. Public governmental bodies holding a closed meeting shall close only an existing portion of the meeting facility necessary to house the members of the public governmental body in the closed session, allowing members of the public to remain to attend any subsequent open session held by the public governmental body following the closed session.
A.
Except as provided in Section 120.020, rules authorized pursuant to Article III of the Missouri Constitution and as otherwise provided by law, all votes shall be recorded, and if a roll call is taken, as to attribute each "yea" and "nay" vote, or abstinence if not voting, to the name of the individual member of the public governmental body. Any votes taken during a closed meeting shall be taken by roll call. All public meetings shall be open to the public and public votes and public records shall be open to the public for inspection and duplication. All votes taken by roll call in meetings of a public governmental body consisting of members who are all elected shall be cast by members of the public governmental body who are physically present and in attendance at the meeting or who are participating via video-conferencing. When it is necessary to take votes by roll call in a meeting of the public governmental body, due to an emergency of the public body, with a quorum of the members of the public body physically present and in attendance and less than a quorum of the members of the public governmental body participating via telephone, facsimile, Internet, or any other voice or electronic means, the nature of the emergency of the public body justifying that departure from the normal requirements shall be stated in the minutes. Where such emergency exists, the votes taken shall be regarded as if all members were physically present and in attendance at the meeting.
B.
A journal or minutes of open and closed meetings shall be taken and
retained by the public governmental body including, but not limited
to, a record of any vote taken at such meeting. The minutes shall
include the date, time, place, members present, members absent, and
a record of votes taken. When a roll call vote is taken, the minutes
shall attribute each "yea" and "nay" vote, or abstinence if not voting,
to the name of the individual member of the public governmental body.
A.
Each meeting shall be held at a place reasonably accessible to the
public and of sufficient size to accommodate the anticipated attendance
by members of the public and at a time reasonably convenient to the
public unless for good cause such a place or time is impossible or
impractical. Every reasonable effort shall be made to grant special
access to the meeting to handicapped or disabled individuals.
B.
When it is necessary to hold a meeting on less than twenty-four (24)
hours' notice, or at a place that is not reasonably accessible
to the public, or at a time that is not reasonably convenient to the
public, the nature of the good cause justifying that departure from
the normal requirements shall be stated in the minutes.
If a public record contains material which is not exempt from
disclosure, as well as material which is exempt from disclosure, the
custodian shall separate the exempt and non-exempt material and make
the non-exempt material available for examination and copying in accord
with the policies provided herein. When designing a public record
the custodian shall, to the extent practicable, facilitate a separation
of exempt from non-exempt information. If the separation is readily
apparent to a person requesting to inspect or receive copies of the
form, the custodian shall generally describe the material exempted
unless that description would reveal the contents of the exempt information
and thus defeat the purpose of the exemption.
A.
The City Clerk shall be the custodian of records and will be responsible
for maintenance and control of all records. The custodian may designate
deputy custodians in operating departments of the City and such other
departments or offices as the custodian may determine. Deputy custodians
shall conduct matters relating to public records and meetings in accord
with the policies enumerated herein.
B.
Each public governmental body shall make available for inspection
and copying by the public of that body's public records. No person
shall remove original public records from the office of a public governmental
body or its custodian without written permission of the designated
custodian. No public governmental body shall, after August 28, 1998,
grant to any person or entity, whether by contract, license or otherwise,
the exclusive right to access and disseminate any public record unless
the granting of such right is necessary to facilitate coordination
with, or uniformity among, industry regulators having similar authority.
C.
Each request for access to a public record shall be acted upon as
soon as possible, but in no event later than the end of the third
business day following the date the request is received by the custodian
of records of a public governmental body. If records are requested
in a certain format, the public body shall provide the records in
the requested format, if such format is available. If access to the
public record is not granted immediately, the custodian shall give
a detailed explanation of the cause for further delay and the place
and earliest time and date that the record will be available for inspection.
This period for document production may exceed three (3) days for
reasonable cause.
D.
If a request for access is denied, the custodian shall provide, upon
request, a written statement of the grounds for such denial. Such
statement shall cite the specific provision of law under which access
is denied and shall be furnished to the requester no later than the
end of the third business day following the date that the request
for the statement is received.
A.
Except as otherwise provided by law, each public governmental body
shall provide access to and, upon request, furnish copies of public
records subject to the following:
1.
Fees for copying public records, except those records restricted
under Section 32.091, RSMo., shall not exceed ten cents ($0.10) per
page for a paper copy not larger than nine (9) inches by fourteen
(14) inches, with the hourly fee for duplicating time not to exceed
the average hourly rate of pay for clerical staff of the public governmental
body. Research time required for fulfilling records requests may be
charged at the actual cost of research time. Based on the scope of
the request, the public governmental body shall produce the copies
using employees of the body that result in the lowest amount of charges
for search, research and duplication time. Prior to producing copies
of the requested records, the person requesting the records may request
the public governmental body to provide an estimate of the cost to
the person requesting the records. Documents may be furnished without
charge or at a reduced charge when the public governmental body determines
that waiver or reduction of the fee is in the public interest because
it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of
the operations or activities of the public governmental body and is
not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester.
2.
Fees for providing access to public records maintained on computer
facilities, recording tapes or disks, videotapes or films, pictures,
maps, slides, graphics, illustrations or similar audio or visual items
or devices and for paper copies larger than nine (9) inches by fourteen
(14) inches shall include only the cost of copies, staff time, which
shall not exceed the average hourly rate of pay for staff of the public
governmental body required for making copies and programming, if necessary,
and the cost of the disk, tape or other medium used for the duplication.
Fees for maps, blueprints or plats that require special expertise
to duplicate may include the actual rate of compensation for the trained
personnel required to duplicate such maps, blueprints or plats. If
programming is required beyond the customary and usual level to comply
with a request for records or information, the fees for compliance
may include the actual cost of such programming.
B.
Payment of such copying fees may be requested prior to the making
of copies.
[R.O. 2008 §120.100A; Ord. No. 562 §§1 — 12, 5-12-2008]
A.
Custodian Of Records. The City Clerk is hereby designated
as the "custodian of records" for the City of Ironton. Such designation
does not mean that the City Clerk necessarily will have all the records
in his or her possession, but simply is an indication to whom requests
for copies of records and information regarding the City Government
shall be directed. Requests for records made to persons other than
the City Clerk shall not be considered to be requests that are made
pursuant to Missouri Sunshine Law, Chapter 610, RSMo. However, any
official or employee of the City who receives a request is directed
to inform the City Clerk of the request in a timely fashion so that
a response may be made to the request.
B.
How Records Are Requested. All requests for records,
notices or information shall be in writing and shall be accompanied
by a deposit of the estimated cost of reproducing the requested information.
Oral requests, if received by the City Clerk, shall be immediately
recorded in written form to document the same. Any request received
by the City Clerk shall be initialed by the Clerk with the date and
time of receipt noted.
C.
Response Desired To Be Noted On Request. The requesting
party shall indicate on the request the manner in which a response
is desired. In the absence of instructions to the contrary, it will
be assumed that the requesting party wants to receive a response in
the same form as the original request. (Example: If someone stops
by City Hall and requests copies of documents, it will be assumed
that the requesting party will stop by City Hall later to pick up
the documents; but if someone mails a request to the City Hall, it
will be assumed that a mailed response is desired.)
D.
Response Within Three Business Days. The custodian
of records shall respond to the request within three (3) business
days of its receipt. A "business day" is a day when the City Hall
is open for the conduct of City business during its normal business
hours. While it is desirable that the entire transaction be completed
within three (3) business days, there may be circumstances where clarification
or explanation of the request is necessary, or where it may be necessary
to provide only part of the requested information while searches are
made to find copies of other documents requested.
E.
Documentation Of Response. The custodian of records
shall document the response provided either by:
F.
Request For Searches. A request for copies of "all
documents" or "every document" of a particular sort involves a request
to search through every record of the City in order for the City to
certify that it has provided "all" or "every" document. Such searches
are expensive. Similarly, a request for records compiled in a format
differing from the format in which the records are customarily retained
is a request for a search and compilation and can be expensive. As
a general rule, the custodian of records is not expected to engage
in extensive searches for compilations. Any search request that will
require more than fifteen (15) minutes of the custodian's time
will be refused without a substantial advance deposit for the estimated
time required to search for the records.
G.
Fees For Retrieval And Copies. Fees for search,
retrieval, copying and returning to their proper storage all City
documents shall be:
1.
For a search of fifteen (15) minutes or less, no retrieval fee;
2.
For a search, retrieval, copying and return of documents requiring
more than fifteen (15) minutes: four dollars ($4.00) for each period
of fifteen (15) minutes or less, including the first fifteen-minute
period, plus the following fees for copies of documents, to wit:
a.
For copies that can be made on the City's copy machine
or other equipment available at the City Hall: ten cents ($0.10) per
side of a page;
b.
For copies that must be made elsewhere: the actual charges imposed
for making the copies (including any taxes imposed) as well as the
fee provided above for search, retrieval, copying and returning to
proper storage; and
c.
For documents mailed: all fees associated with mailing such
documents.
H.
Inspection Of Records. To reduce the cost to both the requesting party and the City, the custodian of records may permit a physical inspection of the records by the requesting party to help specify what documents are needed. The custodian may impose such security as is deemed appropriate to guarantee that no record is removed from the City files. The requesting party shall pay the cost of that security at the rate provided in Subsection (G).
I.
Waiver Of Fees. The custodian of records is empowered to waive the collection of any of the fees totaling less than one dollar ($1.00) provided in Subsection (G) above to any citizen of the City requesting documents from the City or to any representative of news media that routinely sends a reporter to cover meetings of the City Board of Aldermen. No person or organization shall receive more than three (3) such waivers in any twelve-month period.
J.
Personnel Records.
1.
All records of the City regarding the hiring, firing, disciplining
or promoting of any particular employee where personal information
about the employee is discussed or recorded, or when there is a discussion
or decision as to whether to hire, fire, promote or discipline any
particular employee, and all other personal information relating to
the performance or merits of individual employees, are hereby declared
to be closed. In addition, all records of the City which are permitted
to be closed records by reason of the Sunshine Law, or by any other
Statute of Missouri, or by any Statute or regulation of the United
States Government, shall be retained as closed records. No such closed
records shall be released to any person who is not a part of the City
Government, except that the City's auditor may see such records
as are reasonably necessary to prepare an audit report as requested
by the City and the City's attorney may see such records as are
reasonably necessary to represent the City. Requests that closed records
be open to public inspection will be considered on a case-by-case
basis by the City's Board of Aldermen.
2.
All employee personnel files shall be closed to all persons
except the Mayor and City Clerk (who must maintain said records);
provided, however, that members of the Board of Aldermen who are appointed
to specific committees may review, in the presence of the Mayor, the
personnel files of employees of whom said committee directly oversees.
In addition, the Board of Aldermen may review any personnel file,
collectively, when addressing in closed session any decision to hire,
promote, discipline or discharge any employee.
K.
Subpoenas For Closed Records. No subpoena for a
closed record shall be honored. All such subpoenas shall be referred
to the City Attorney for a response and for a motion to quash the
subpoena. The only exception to this requirement that will be recognized
is a subpoena from a grand jury.
L.
Penalty For Disclosure Of Closed Records. Any person
employed or working for the City, or who has been entrusted with a
record that is marked to indicate that it is "confidential" or a "closed
record," or who has been invited to participate in a closed meeting
who nonetheless discloses any closed record, or any information about
the contents of any closed meeting, to any person, shall be guilty
of an offense under the ordinances of the City, and upon conviction
therefor, may be punished as provided by law. Any such person who
is employed or working for the City may also be subject to the termination
of their employment as a result of such disclosure. Any such person
who is an elected official may also be subject to impeachment from
their office as a result of such disclosure.
As used in this Article, the following terms shall have the
following definitions:
An actual restraint of the person of the defendant, or by
his/her submission to the custody of the officer, under authority
of a warrant or otherwise for a criminal violation which results in
the issuance of a summons or the person being booked.
A record of a law enforcement agency of an arrest and of
any detention or confinement incident thereto together with the charge
therefor.
An investigation in which no further action will be taken
by a law enforcement agency or officer for any of the following reasons:
A decision by the law enforcement agency not to pursue the case.
Expiration of the time to file criminal charges pursuant to
the applicable statute of limitations or ten (10) years after the
commission of the offense, whichever date earliest occurs.
Finality of the convictions of all persons convicted on the
basis of the information contained in the investigative report, by
exhaustion of or expiration of all rights of appeal of such persons.
A record of a law enforcement agency consisting of the date,
time, specific location, name of the victim, and immediate facts and
circumstances surrounding the initial report of a crime or incident,
including any logs of reported crimes, accidents and complaints maintained
by that agency.
A record, other than an arrest or incident report, prepared
by personnel of a law enforcement agency inquiring into a crime or
suspected crime either in response to an incident report or in response
to evidence developed by law enforcement officers in the course of
their duties.
A.
The Police Department of the City shall maintain records of all incidents reported to the Police Department and investigations and arrests made by the Police Department. All incident reports and arrest reports shall be open records. Notwithstanding any other provision of law other than the provisions of Subsection (C) of this Section or Section 320.083, RSMo., investigative reports of the Police Department are closed records until the investigation becomes inactive. If any person is arrested and not charged with an offense against the law within thirty (30) days of the person's arrest, the arrest report shall thereafter be a closed record except that the disposition portion of the record may be accessed and except as provided in Section 120.140.
B.
Except as provided in Subsections (C) and (D) of this Section, if any portion of a record or document of a Police Department Officer or the Police Department, other than an arrest report which would otherwise be open, contains information that is reasonably likely to pose a clear and present danger to the safety of any victim, witness, undercover officer or other person; or jeopardize a criminal investigation, including records which would disclose the identity of a source wishing to remain confidential or a suspect not in custody; or which would disclose techniques, procedures or guidelines for Police Department investigations or prosecutions, that portion of the record shall be closed and shall be redacted from any record made available pursuant to this Chapter.
C.
Any person, a family member of such person within the first degree of consanguinity of such person if deceased or incompetent, attorney for a person, or insurer of a person involved in any incident or whose property is involved in an incident may obtain any records closed pursuant to this Section or Section 120.140 for purposes of investigation of any civil claim or defense as provided by this Subsection. Any individual, his/her attorney or insurer involved in an incident or whose property is involved in an incident, upon written request, may obtain a complete unaltered and unedited incident report concerning the incident and may obtain access to other records closed by the Police Department pursuant to this Section. Within thirty (30) days of such request, the Police Department shall provide the requested material or file a motion pursuant to this Subsection with the Circuit Court having jurisdiction over the Police Department stating that the safety of the victim, witness or other individual cannot be reasonably ensured, or that a criminal investigation is likely to be jeopardized. Pursuant to Section 610.100(4), RSMo., if, based on such motion, the court finds for the Police Department, the court shall either order the record closed or order such portion of the record that should be closed to be redacted from any record made available pursuant to this Subsection.
D.
Any person may apply pursuant to this Subsection to the Circuit Court
having jurisdiction for an order requiring a law enforcement agency
to open incident reports and arrest reports being unlawfully closed
pursuant to the Section. If the court finds by a preponderance of
the evidence that the law enforcement officer or agency has knowingly
violated this Section, the officer or agency shall be subject to a
civil penalty in an amount up to one thousand dollars ($1,000.00).
If the court finds that there is a knowing violation of this Section,
the court may order payment by such officer or agency of all costs
and attorneys' fees, as provided by Section 610.027, RSMo. If
the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the law enforcement
officer or agency has purposely violated this Section, the officer
or agency shall be subject to a civil penalty in an amount up to five
thousand dollars ($5,000.00) and the court shall order payment by
such officer or agency of all costs and attorney fees, as provided
in Section 610.027, RSMo. The court shall determine the amount of
the penalty by taking into account the size of the jurisdiction, the
seriousness of the offense, and whether the law enforcement officer
or agency has violated this Section previously.
E.
The victim of an offense as provided in Chapter 566, RSMo., may request
that his/her identity be kept confidential until a charge relating
to such incident is filed.(3)(4)(6)(7), 2004)
A.
If the person arrested is charged but the case is subsequently nolle prossed, dismissed, or the accused is found not guilty, or imposition of sentence is suspended in the court in which the action is prosecuted, official records pertaining to the case shall thereafter be closed records when such case is finally terminated, except as provided in Subsection (B) of this Section and Section 120.140 and except that the court's judgment or order or the final action taken by the prosecutor in such matters may be accessed. If the accused is found not guilty due to mental disease or defect pursuant to Section 552.030, RSMo., official records pertaining to the case shall thereafter be closed records upon such findings, except that the disposition may be accessed only by law enforcement agencies, child care agencies, facilities as defined in Section 198.006, RSMo., and in-home services provider agencies as defined in Section 660.250, RSMo., in the manner established by Section 120.140.
B.
If the person arrested is charged with an offense found in Chapter
566, RSMo., Section 568.045, 568.050, 568.060, 568.065, 568.080, 568.090
or 568.175, RSMo., and an imposition of sentence is suspended in the
court in which the action is prosecuted, the official records pertaining
to the case shall be made available to the victim for the purpose
of using the records in his/her own judicial proceeding or if the
victim is a minor to the victim's parents or guardian, upon request.
A.
Except as otherwise provided under Section 610.124, RSMo., records
required to be closed shall not be destroyed; they shall be inaccessible
to the general public and to all persons other than the defendant
except as provided in this Section and Section 43.507, RSMo. The closed
records shall be available to: criminal justice agencies for the administration
of criminal justice pursuant to Section 43.500, RSMo., criminal justice
employment, screening persons with access to criminal justice facilities,
procedures and sensitive information; to law enforcement agencies
for issuance or renewal of a license, permit, certification, or registration
of authority from such agency including, but not limited to, watchmen,
security personnel, private investigators, and persons seeking permits
to purchase or possess a firearm; those agencies authorized by Section
43.543, RSMo., to submit and when submitting fingerprints to the central
repository; the Sentencing Advisory Commission created in Section
558.019, RSMo., for the purpose of studying sentencing practices in
accordance with Section 43.507, RSMo.; to qualified entities for the
purpose of screening providers defined in Section 43.540, RSMo.; the
Department of Revenue for driver license administration; the Department
of Public Safety for the purposes of determining eligibility for crime
victims' compensation pursuant to Sections 595.010 to 595.075,
RSMo.; Department of Health and Senior Services for the purpose of
licensing and regulating facilities and regulating in-home services
provider agencies and Federal agencies for purposes of criminal justice
administration, criminal justice employment, child, elderly, or disabled
care, and for such investigative purposes as authorized by law or
presidential executive order.
B.
These records shall be made available only for the purposes and to
the entities listed in this Section. A criminal justice agency receiving
a request for criminal history information under its control may require
positive identification, to include fingerprints of the subject of
the record search, prior to releasing closed record information. Dissemination
of closed and open records from the Missouri criminal records repository
shall be in accordance with Section 43.509, RSMo. All records which
are closed records shall be removed from the records of the Police
Department and Municipal Court which are available to the public and
shall be kept in separate records which are to be held confidential
and, where possible, pages of the public record shall be retyped or
rewritten omitting those portions of the record which deal with the
defendant's case. If retyping or rewriting is not feasible because
of the permanent nature of the record books, such record entries shall
be blacked out and recopied in a confidential book.
Except as provided by this Section, any information acquired by the Police Department or a first responder agency by way of a complaint or report of a crime made by telephone contact using the emergency number "911" shall be inaccessible to the general public. However, information consisting of the date, time, specific location, and immediate facts and circumstances surrounding the initial report of the crime or incident shall be considered to be an incident report and subject to Section 120.120. Any closed records pursuant to this Section shall be available upon request by law enforcement agencies or the Division of Workers' Compensation or pursuant to a valid court order authorizing disclosure upon motion and good cause shown.
A.
The City of Ironton Police Department, if it maintains a daily log
or record that lists suspected crimes, accidents or complaints, shall
make available the following information for inspection and copying
by the public:
