SPJ DC Pro co-sponsored the 2022 D.C. Open Government Summit, held online during Sunshine Week on March 16, 2022. It keynoted transparency and accountability in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The evening virtual session opened with recently appointed Police Chief Robert J. Contee III addressing concerns District residents, activists and journalists have raised about access to MPD information, including records, body-worn camera videos, and officer discipline proceedings.
There also was a discussion with nonprofit and private-sector experts and activists about their experiences seeking information from the MPD. The panelists were Naïké Savain, DC Justice Lab; Michael Perloff, ACLU DC; James Berry Jr., MPD’s Citizens Advisory Councils and Steven Rich, The Washington Post. The discussion was moderated by Ginger McCall, DCOGC Board Member.
The 2022 Open Government Summit was also co-sponsored by the DC Open Government Coalition, the DC Office of Open Government, the NAACP Washington, DC Branch and EmpowerEd.
You can watch the session here.