An investigative journalism newspaper out of Tulsa Oklahoma, The Frontier, has filed an Open Records Lawsuit against the Pottawattamie County Jail Trust. They have been seeking jail surveillance video of an arrest where a man having a serious mental health breakdown died. Reports have surfaced that he possibly died from a knee to his neck for an extended period of time.

This is an important case to watch and information that should be made public. The citizens must know how their government operates. Especially when the government is involved in taking a human life – accident or not. We predict that The Frontier will ultimately win this one pursuant to this provision in § 24A.8 of the Oklahoma Open Records Act:

B. Except for the records listed in subsection A of this section and those made open by other state or local laws, law enforcement agencies may deny access to law enforcement records except where a court finds that the public interest or the interest of an individual outweighs the reason for denial.

The lawyers for the government here might take a look at the Ross II case.