Kenny Lane, Rowan County, N.C.
♦ Recently I read a “Letter-to-the Editor” in the Rowan Free Press questioning why the Salisbury Police Department doesn’t publish unsolved murders in hopes of obtaining new information that might allow them to be solved. I would submit one reason is to avoid comparison to other agencies. The number of unsolved homicides in Salisbury would dwarf the listed cases for Rowan County Sheriff’s Department and would be embarrassing to publish. Another key reason is the Salisbury Police Department’s inadequate manpower to allow a dedicated cold case unit. Finally, City Hall is reluctant to release any information to the public even when such information is required to be released.
For the description of the NC General Statute defining public records:
https://app.box.com/s/h6j2zgu854rjj628h09k352u20d67um0
I have repeatedly attempted to gain information under the Freedom of Information Act which the city flatly refuses to provide. On April 27th I sent both an email and mailed copies to the new city manager Lane Bailey and city clerk Myra Herd. I received no response. Prior requests were either not answered or got incomplete responses. I’m attaching the copy of the email request below.
Email Request to City Manager Lane Bailey:
https://app.box.com/s/n9yk6uh5ondwcwcen25de1sh85sx14l7
I encourage anyone to see for themselves how forthcoming the city is with public information spelled out by N.C. statute that the city must be provide. The state statute is attached below as is a blank FOIA request. Attempt to obtain a copy of the personnel file for former city manager Doug Paris and see how mindful the city is of FOIA law. If the city is going to avoid obeying general statutes to avoid admission of difficulties does it surprise anyone they won’t post unsolved homicides?
For the NC General Statute about employee records:
https://app.box.com/s/v3c7x0guyrx36hz1lufwhgnk8eijix15
For a template of a NC public records request to the City of Salisbury:
https://app.box.com/s/hq5nbkv08py9bbj8nhmikwpb2tg5voow
