Source: https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/openrecords/49cornyn/orl/2000/htm/or200002982.htm
Timestamp: 2017-01-20 06:20:59
Document Index: 277559151

Matched Legal Cases: ['art. 49', '§ 11', '§ 552', '§ 20', '§ 411', '§ 411', '§ 411', '§ 552', '§ 552']

OR2000-2982
ID# 137779.
information relating to an automobile accident that involved two fatalities. You inform us that
some responsive information held by the district attorney has been made available to the
requestor. You claim that other requested information is excepted from disclosure under
exceptions you claim and have reviewed the information you submitted.
disclosure under other law.(1) Section 11, article 49.25 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides as follows:
promptly be delivered to the proper district, county, or criminal district attorney
in any case where further investigation is advisable. The records are subject
to required public disclosure in accordance with Chapter 552, Government
Code, except that a photograph or x-ray of a body taken during an autopsy is
excepted from required public disclosure in accordance with Chapter 552,
(2) if the photograph or x-ray is of the body of a person who died while
in the custody of law enforcement.
Code Crim. Proc. art. 49.25, § 11. Thus, except for photographs taken in connection with the
autopsy, which you must withhold, the autopsy records included in the requested information
are public and must be disclosed.
You claim that the submitted records include criminal history information that is protected
from disclosure under section 552.101 of the Government Code. Section 552.101 excepts
from disclosure "information considered to be confidential by law, either constitutional,
statutory, or by judicial decision." Gov't Code § 552.101. Statutory confidentiality under
section 552.101 requires express language providing that certain information is confidential
or that it shall not be released to the public. See Open Records Decision No. 478 at 2 (1987). Criminal history record information ("CHRI") is confidential under federal and Texas law. Federal regulations prohibit the release of CHRI maintained in state and local CHRI systems
to the general public. See 28 C.F.R. § 20.21(c)(1) ("Use of criminal history record information disseminated to noncriminal justice agencies shall be limited to the purpose for which it was
given") and (c)(2) ("No agency or individual shall confirm the existence or nonexistence of
criminal history record information to any person or agency that would not be eligible to
receive the information itself."). Section 411.083 of the Government Code provides that any
CHRI maintained by the Department of Public Safety (the "DPS") is confidential. Gov't Code
§ 411.083(a). Similarly, CHRI obtained from the DPS pursuant to statute also is confidential
and may be disclosed only in very limited instances. Id. § 411.084; see also id. § 411.087 (restrictions on disclosure of CHRI obtained from DPS also apply to CHRI obtained from other criminal justice agencies). Therefore, criminal history record information must be
the foregoing provisions of federal and state law.
You also claim that other responsive information is excepted from disclosure under
section 552.108 of the Government Code. Section 552.108, the "law enforcement exception,"
provides in relevant part that "[i]nformation held by a law enforcement agency or prosecutor
that deals with the detection, investigation, or prosecution of crime is excepted from [required
public disclosure] if . . . release of the information would interfere with the detection,
investigation, or prosecution of crime[.]" Gov't Code § 552.108(a)(1). A governmental body
that claims an exception to public disclosure under section 552.108 must reasonably explain,
applicable. See Ex parte Pruitt, 551 S.W.2d 706 (Tex. 1977); Open Records Decision No. 434 at 2-3 (1986). In this instance, you represent to this office that the information that you seek
to withhold under section 552.108 relates to two pending criminal cases and that the release
of the information in question would interfere with the district attorney's prosecution of those
cases. Based on your representations and our review of the information in question, we
conclude that it is excepted from disclosure under section 552.108(a)(1) of the Government
about an arrested person, an arrest, or a crime." Gov't Code § 552.108(c). Section 552.108(c)
refers to the basic front-page offense and arrest report information held to be public in Houston
Chronicle Publishing Company v. City of Houston, 531 S.W.2d 177 (Tex. Civ. App.--Houston
[14th Dist.] 1975), writ ref'd n.r.e. per curiam, 536 S.W.2d 559 (Tex. 1976). Section
552.108(c) requires the district attorney to release basic front-page information, including a
front page of the corresponding police report. See Houston Chronicle, 531 S.W.2d at 186-87; Open Records Decision No. 127 at 3-4 (1976) (summarizing the types of information deemed
public by Houston Chronicle). You inform us that front page and other responsive
information has been made available to the requestor. Accordingly, the district attorney may
withhold the rest of the information that relates to the pending prosecutions under section
In summary, autopsy records must be released in accordance with section 11 of article 49.25
of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Criminal history record information is confidential under
section 552.101 of the Government Code in conjunction with federal law and chapter 411 of
the Government Code and must be withheld from disclosure. Other information that relates
to the pending criminal cases and that the district attorney seeks to withhold is excepted from
public disclosure under section 552.108 of the Government Code. As we are able to make a
determination under sections 552.101 and 552.108, we need not consider your claim under
Ref:	ID# 137779
cc:	Mr. Joel T. Gomez
Matthews, Carlton, Stein, Shiels, Pearce, Dunn & Knott, L.L.P. 8131 LBJ Freeway, Suite 700
1. As a general rule, statutes outside the Public Information Act that expressly make certain information public prevail over exceptions to required public disclosure under chapter 552 of the Government Code. See Open Records Decision Nos. 623 at 3 (1994), 525 at 3 (1989).
2. We note, however, that a successful claim under section 552.103 generally does not except from required public disclosure essentially the same basic information that must be released under section 552.108(c). See Open Records Decision Nos. 597 (1991), 362 (1983). POST OFFICE BOX 12548, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78711-2548 TEL: (512) 463-2100 WEB: WWW.OAG.STATE.TX.US