In a stunning revelation to The Lakeland Ledger, Lakeland Chief of Police Lisa Womack has admitted that it is the policy of the LPD to play games with public records requests. To the uninitiated that may be a surprise, but to those of us who have dealt with the LPD on public records issues before, it is simply conformation of the obvious.
According to the article “Womack said she admits her agency will sometimes play a ‘cat-and-mouse’ type game with the media when LPD doesn’t want to release sensitive records but said that isn’t the case this time.”
When you consider the fact that public records access is a constitutionally protected right in the State of Florida, that admission is truly troubling. It leaves thinking people to wonder what other civil rights is Chief Womack toying with? And if they play games with the newspaper what are they doing with average citizens?
Let me get this correct. The Chief believes it is ok to commit a crime while in office. Is this not yet another criminal violation under FSS 838, Misuse of office? And why has the Sheriff not arrested her , this Chief of Police? And exactly what statute authorizes a Chief of Police to pick and choose which statutes she wants to obey? Silly me, I thought we were a Nation of laws and not men/women.There was this short Austrian corporal that had the same belief system. But then history never repeats itself.
Jeff,
The shenanigans described in the article sound all too familiar. Parsing words, obtuse replies about the meaning of various agency terminology, etc. It’s despicable and if you or I were on the other end having to answer questions from the LPD we’d be charged with obstruction, resisting without violence, etc.