May 19, 2006

Sheriff Clay Whittle

Columbia County Sheriff’s Office

P.O. Box 310

Appling, Georgia 30802

Dear Sheriff Whittle:

I am writing on behalf of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation. We are an organization that seeks to advance the cause of open government and monitors freedom of information issues throughout this state.

It has been brought to our attention that the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office/911 refuses to release 911 tapes and CAD transcripts. We are concerned that these activities are contrary to public policy and violate O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(4)(16); see generally Robert Allen v. Athens-Clarke County et al., Superior Court of Athens-Clarke County, Case No.: SU-99-CV-1112-J (Aug. 2, 1999); The Bainbridge Post Searchlight, Inc. v. Decatur County, Ga. et al., Case No. 96-V-302 (Sept. 10, 1996).

Georgia Law Enforcement and the Open Records Act, a copy of which is enclosed for your review, instructs that “911 materials and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) records are subject to the [Open Records] Act’s disclosure requirements.” P. 13 fn 17. This manual was prepared by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Department of Law, the Georgia Department of Public Safety, the Georgia First Amendment Foundation, the Georgia Press Association, the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, the Georgia Sheriff’s Association, and the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia.

We would appreciate an explanation as to why the Sheriff’s office’s practices appear to contravene the public interest. I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Hollie Manheimer

Executive Director

Enclosures

Cc: GFAF Board