Florida Police Are Now Withholding Crime Victim Information
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — Some law-enforcement agencies in Florida are no longer releasing information about crime victims due to their interpretation of a measure passed by voters.
Voters last November approved Amendment 6. The sweeping proposal broadened the rights of crime victims and increased the mandatory retirement age for judges.
The amendment took effect on Jan. 8 and since then some police agencies have stopped releasing basic information about crime victims including the names of people who have been killed.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that open government advocates say this interpretation conflicts with existing public records law. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that the two main law-enforcement agencies in the state capital are responding differently to the amendment.
State legislators have been asked to pass a law that clears up the confusion over the amendment.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
