(AP) – An Arkansas lawmaker says information about police
forces on college campuses and at the state Capitol should be kept under wraps.
Sen. Gary Stubblefield fears society has “disintegrated” and that police need
protections that weren’t necessary three or four decades ago. Under two of his
bills, even the number of officers hired by the Capitol Police and 33 state-run
colleges and universities would be off-limits to the public.
First Amendment advocates contend the law tramples on government transparency,
and even one of Stubblefield’s colleagues questioned whether it authorizes
secret police agencies.
The University of Arkansas backs the bill, although it says it has no
intention of operating a private force. The school says it only wants a way to
reject Freedom of Information requests that could somehow threaten public
safety.
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