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Subcommittee moves to expand clerk-office redactions to better protect victims' identities
Summary
The subcommittee approved a recommendation to amend Conn. Gen. Stat. 1-210B3 so clerk's office copies of warrants and records redact "other identifying information" (examples: gender, age, race, employment), aligning clerk releases with law-enforcement redactions; the recommendation will be forwarded to the full council.
The court-based issues subcommittee voted March 12 to forward a recommendation to amend Conn. Gen. Stat. 1-210B3 so that clerk's office copies of warrants and other records redact "other identifying information" in addition to names and addresses for victims of sexual assault, family violence and certain other offenses.
Merritt Loy presented the rationale, saying current statutory redactions leave identifying details intact when the clerk's office releases copies. "Any other identifying information is going to be left intact and that's really not accomplishing the goal of that confidentiality," Loy said, listing examples such as gender, age, race, employment or student status.
Committee members said the change would align clerk procedures with law-enforcement redactions and better protect victims when records are publicly requested. Shauna Harrington moved the recommendation; Andrea O' Conor seconded. The subcommittee approved the motion by voice vote and will forward the recommendation to the larger council for further review and any drafting with legislative liaison.
Next steps: the subcommittee will transmit the recommendation and supporting examples to the full council and legislative liaison so statutory drafting can ensure consistent redaction standards across clerk and law-enforcement releases.
