Conn. Panel To Decide Whether To Make Sandy Hook 911 Calls Public
HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) - Connecticut's Freedom of Information Commission is meeting this week to consider whether recordings of 911 calls from the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting should be made public.
An attorney for the commission who heard a challenge from The Associated Press recommended earlier this month that the recordings be released.
The full nine-member commission is holding a hearing Wednesday afternoon before issuing its final decision.
Conn. Panel To Decide Whether To Make Sandy Hook 911 Calls Public
"They'll consider it, they'll discuss it in public and they'll hear from both parties. Both sides will come to the hearing and argue either for or against adoption of that decision," Connecticut Freedom of Information Commissioner Kathleen Ross told WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau.
Danbury State's Attorney Stephen Sedensky III is leading the investigation into the Dec. 14 massacre of 26 people at the school in Newtown. He has argued that releasing the records could jeopardize the probe.
But Ross said there's no legal reason to keep the calls private.
"The State's Attorney did not offer any evidence that disclosure of these records would be prejudicial," she told Schneidau.
The FOI commissioner has recommended that the 911 calls be released. The full commission will decide the issue on Wednesday, but the decision can be appealed.
The AP requested documents including copies of 911 calls in part to examine the response of law enforcement to one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history.
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