California Public Records Act | Covina Police Department (2024)

FAQs

Do you have to answer police questions in California? ›

A: No. You have the constitutional right to remain silent. In general, you do not have to talk to law enforcement officers (or anyone else), even if you do not feel free to walk away from the officer, you are arrested, or you are in jail. You cannot be pun- ished for refusing to answer a question.

The 10-day period mentioned in the act is not a legal deadline for producing records, rather it is a time frame which allows the agency to review records to determine if the records being sought are legally allowed to be released or whether they are exempt.

The California Public Records Act requires that governmental records be accessible to the public when requested, unless exempt by the law. Requests for identifiable, disclosable recordsmust be responded to within timeframes and promptly available for anyone who pays duplication costs or statutory fees.

Effective January 1, 2023, the California Public Records Act (CPRA) has a new location within the Government Code, complete with relabeled organizational headings that improve navigating the statute.

Do I have to answer questions asked by law enforcement officers? No. You have the constitutional right to remain silent.

You have the right to remain silent. For example, you do not have to answer any questions about where you are going, where you are traveling from, what you are doing, or where you live.

Depending on the circ*mstances, the following fees may apply: The fee for preparing a copy of any law, resolution, record, or other document on file in the Secretary of State's Office is one dollar ($1.00) for the first page and fifty cents ($0.50) for each page thereafter.

The PRA requires public agencies to initially respond to a request for records within ten calendar days ​(this time limit may be extended by 14 days in certain circ*mstances).

The California Public Records Act, which can be found at California Government Code sections 7920 - 7931, is the California law that provides the public the right to inspect and the right to promptly obtain copies of "public records." The purpose of the Act is to provide access to information that enables the public to ...

Police reports are considered ! public records' within the meaning of the California Public Records Act and the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance. Police reports must be released unless an exception applies.

Are 911 calls public record in California? ›

A: Records of 911 calls are public records under the California Public Records Act and, therefore, must be disclosed unless a specific exemption to disclosure applies.

Under the Act, all meetings of local legislative bodies are open and public, and all persons are permitted to attend the meetings. Statutory exceptions authorizing closed sessions are construed narrowly, and the Brown Act “sunshine law” is construed liberally in favor of openness in conducting public business.

6250. In enacting this chapter, the Legislature, mindful of the right of individuals to privacy, finds and declares that access to information concerning the conduct of the people's business is a fundamental and necessary right of every person in this state.

A deliberative process exemption to open records requests is one that shields from public scrutiny that papers and materials that elected officials use in the course of reaching a decision.

California voters passed the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) ballot initiative during the November 2020 election, amending and expanding the existing California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

According to the text of the law, the only time that officers can skip stating the reason for the stop is if the officer deems it necessary “to protect life or property from imminent threat.”

In California, there is no stop-and-identify law which requires an individual to produce identification upon request by a peace officer.

Neither California nor federal law explicitly mandates that officers must identify themselves.

In general in the US you have no legal right to know. As I said above this can vary by state. If you are later charged with a crime and prosecuted you have a right to confront all witnesses against you. If the person who made the initial report is a witness for the prosecution then you'll know.