You mean, law enforcement provides you with this info as a matter of course, without complaining or throwing roadblocks in your way or claiming it's crucial info in an investigation?Īnd this, more than any other reason, is why "Florida Man" exists. When I came to Florida and realized what journalists could get, I was astonished. And in almost all cases, if the cops wanted you to have the report - if it made them look good, if it was a big enough case - you'd get it.īut bottom line, Pennsylvania's open records laws were and are pathetic. Other agencies did provide arrest reports. I knew some cops, who said arrest reports could be withheld for a variety of reasons - the mood of the desk sergeant, even the perception that the accused might be embarrassed if the report got out. Sometimes we did get reports, but no one in the newsroom knew how much was being released, what was being withheld and why. Whether police didn't want to give us the info or it was just too much of a bother, I never knew. Reporter: They said there's a problem with the computers. Reporter: They said the printer was down.Įditor: Can't they email the arrest reports? On a typical Saturday night, this is how it worked:Įditor: Did you get anything from the city? Some agencies - and here I'm looking at you, City of Lancaster Police Department - took it to ridiculous extremes. And that was often the rationale: We can't give you the arrest report because. But Pennsylvania's open records laws permit law enforcement to withhold information if it's considered a record of a criminal investigation. Reporter: Officer, can I get a copy of the arrest report? Let me tell you how this process often worked in Pennsylvania: Police agencies routinely make all this available to the media. I was added to the distribution list for one local police agency without even asking to be now I get daily arrest reports via email. Documents, photos, even videos created by a public agency are readily available - with some notable exceptions (and here I'm thinking of the video of New England Patriots' owner Robert Kraft in that massage parlor). More: What did Florida Man do on your birthday?įlorida has one of the most robust public records laws in the nation. More: Will Greenlee's "Off the Beat" chronicles the weird, the wild, the wacky So why is "Florida Man" a thing, but "Pennsylvania Man" isn't? But I hail from Pennsylvania, and let me tell you, the Keystone State is no slouch in this regard. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.View Gallery: Florida man stories and headlines from 2018 you need to sit down forįlorida definitely has more than its share of oddballs, bumbling would-be criminals and drunken buffoons. First lady Casey DeSantis, however, was seen by news media pushing children in a swing while the man was extracted.Ĭopyright 2020 The Associated Press. Ron DeSantis was in Fort Lauderdale on Friday morning for a coronavirus news conference. They demanded that inmates in Florida prisons and jails be released to stop the spread of coronavirus behind bars. This week, prisoner rights advocates in a caravan of about 20 vehicles circled the Capitol complex and the Department of Corrections’ headquarters, chanting and shouting through megaphones. Police said Mazurek will be charged with restricting or obstructing access without violence and was given a traffic ticket for blocking the roadway. That included jackhammers and other equipment. “He refused to let go so we ended up having to use heavy equipment” to extract him, Bradshaw said. It wasn't easy getting Mazurek out, police said.
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