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Board upholds partial FOIA denial for sheriff's office names, citing officer safety
Summary
A reporter appealed the county's partial FOIA denial seeking law-enforcement names tied to salaries; the board upheld the denial after the sheriff and HR argued disclosure posed officer-safety and privacy risks.
The board voted to uphold a partial denial of a FOIA request seeking names of sheriff's deputies tied to salary records. Jennifer Eberbach, a reporter with the Ann Arbor News/MLive, told the board the public interest in compensation information supported releasing names. "Compensation paid with public funds is a core public record," she said.
County HR and Sheriff Murphy argued that the sheriff's office requested names be withheld under exemptions related to officer safety and privacy; the sheriff said a searchable list of deputies' names "has the potential to put them in harm's way" and that the requested information would not add fiscal transparency beyond the provided position IDs and salaries. Legal counsel said nonexempt salary information had been provided and that redaction for specifically protected undercover officers, if any, would be the appropriate remedy.
After debate, the board voted to deny the FOIA appeal and uphold the partial denial by vote (motion recorded as approved 9-0). The board directed that salary and position reporting remain available while withholding names in accordance with the sheriff's safety assessment.
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