Protecting Public Safety Professionals' Privacy

Protecting Public Safety Professionals' Privacy

Advocating Common-Sense Regulation of Personnel Records

CSC Council Vice-President Mark Verdone Briefed Members of the Correctional Staff Health and Safety Committee on the Bill to Restrict Inmate Access to Personnel Records in March

Protecting public service workers' personal details from those who would use it to threaten or harass them or their families has long been a priority for our Union. Regulating access to the private information of criminal justice professionals, law enforcement officers, and mental health specialists is critical to assuring their personal safety and well-being.

In 2008, our PIC Council members led the effort to close a loophole in the law that would have allowed the home addresses of supervisory inspectors in the Division of Criminal Justice to be relegated to the public domain.

In 2009, CSC Council members petitioned the Freedom of Information Commission in a case involving an attempt to obtain DOC personnel records. A proposed ruling that found certain information for correction supervisors should not be made available to inmates was issued in December.

In 2010, our Union joined with members of Council 4 AFSCME to advocate for legislation to expand this protection to more correction professionals, forensic technicians, and mental health specialists. The General Assembly passed a bill that would regulate inmate access to personnel records, and we are calling on the governor to sign it into law.

Press release praising legislature for passing FOIA shield law for DOC and DMHAS staff

CT FOI Commission Proposed Decision regarding inmate requests

Chez DiNino's 2008 testimony on legislation regarding DCJ Inspectors' home addresses