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Community Review Board seeks priority access to TBI records; plans separate MOU with district attorney
Summary
The Community Review Board said it has drafted an MOU with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to secure earlier access to investigative records while leaving audio/video redaction to TBI’s processes.
The Community Review Board said it has drafted a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to secure earlier access to investigative documentary records while leaving audio and video redaction to the TBI’s established processes.
Board staff member Mr. Clark said the MOU draft circulated to TBI general counsel would seek “priority access to documentary records,” adding that audio-video files are being treated separately because “the redaction of audio video files takes a considerable amount of time.”
Judge Brown, who attended the TBI meeting with board staff, said the TBI repeatedly cited statutory confidentiality limits during the discussion but appeared open to providing priority delivery of documents within those constraints. “There wasn’t any real pushback other than they just quote the statute that says what they can do,” Judge Brown said.
Board members described the practical reason for separating documentary production from audio/video: TBI has a small redaction team and can take weeks to produce fully redacted body-worn camera footage in sensitive incidents, whereas reports and other documents can be shared earlier with limited redactions. Mr. Clark said the board has already negotiated a shorter, abbreviated production of audio/video while full redactions proceed.
Board staff also said the board will pursue a separate MOU with the district attorney’s office because the DA can exercise independent authority over whether and when investigative materials become public, particularly in officer-involved shootings. Board staff indicated they expected to “touch base” with District Attorney Funk on Tuesday to begin that discussion.
Board members said the combined approach — an MOU with TBI to prioritize documents and a separate MOU with the district attorney — is intended to reduce delays that have kept documents out of the CRB’s hands while preserving statutory confidentiality limits.
No formal vote was recorded; the board described these items as ongoing staff and counsel work.
