The Iowa Freedom of Information Council obtained a significant victory involving the release of dash camera recordings and other government records related to the fatal July 2018 shooting of a Wisconsin man suspected of driving a stolen vehicle by a Polk County sheriff’s deputy. Faegre Drinker represented the Iowa Freedom of Information Council in the lawsuit.
In a court-approved consent order, the sheriff’s office will release records and unedited dash camera videos/audio from deputy vehicles involved in the incident. The office will also pay $120,000 in litigation costs and attorney fees incurred by the Council during the 15-month access battle.
According to the executive director of the Council, the judicially-enforceable settlement will be a valuable resource when access to information about shootings involving law enforcement is in issue.
