County Hires Forensics Firm to Comply with Subpoenas

[Bridget Conant]

The county has hired a digital forensics firm to insure it is complying with subpoenas issued in conjunction with a public corruption investigation. They will search through all electronic records and emails to find relevant records.

So it is entirely possible, if one wishes to honestly comply with a records request, to access even records your current system can’t easily search.

Pay attention, Kevin Butler!


http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-count ... vided.html

[Peter Grossetti]

Will this firm (for an additional nominal fee) also provide redaction services?

[Jim O'Bryan]

Will this firm (for an additional nominal fee) also provide redaction services?

Peter

You say with a wink, but the answer is yes.

This is what Mark Kindt has been saying for two years. The city could hire a firm like this that would not just go through the documents, but be willing to testify in court, and explain why some were not sent in, or what and why they were redacted. The very fact they have never done this underlines just how dug in they are on covering the whole thing up, and not complying with court orders.

At the same time the courts that ordered the documents be turned over offered their services to scan the documents turned over to see if they fit the guidlines for being held back from the public.

The City still refuses, one can only imagine how bad what they are now hiding really is.

100% of all computer usage by a city employee is public. Every employee should be warned of this on the day they start. There are very few exceptions for a public's right to know and ask for them. This is why God makes private computers and phones. Which by the way are also subject to public records requests if and when they are used for government business.

The reasons for not turning over documents is pretty narrow. Health, Attorney Client privilege, and when the city is in a bidding process, and only while the bidding is going on. 100% of everything else is a public record. The city refusing to turn over documents of employee computer usage is an outrage. The city cited in talk on forums, they could be embarrassing. That is not a reason for withholding anything.

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[Bridget Conant]

Attorney Client privilege

Apparently our law director, Kevin Butler, believes he “represents” the city and therefore ANY communication he has with anyone is privileged.

That’s not true. He is a hired city EMPLOYEE paid with our tax dollars. His communication with council and the mayor ARE public records outside of a few exceptions, per Ohio law that I posted in another thread.

But apparently, several of our clueless council members believe otherwise, relying on the fault advice of Butler.

[Peter Grossetti]

Will this firm (for an additional nominal fee) also provide redaction services?

Peter

You say with a wink ...

.

Let me translate for you, in this case:

= “but do they know what REALLY what needs to be redacted.”