Opinion ID: 44624
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Determining Whether the Law Enforcement Privilege Protects Particular Documents

Text: 20 On remand, the district court should review the documents at issue in camera to evaluate whether the law enforcement privilege applies to the documents at issue. In making its determinations, the court must balance the government's interest in confidentiality against the litigant's need for the documents. Coughlin, 946 F.2d at 1160. The court, therefore, should consider the Frankenhauser factors. See Frankenhauser v. Rizzo, 59 F.R.D. 339, 344 (E.D.Pa. Mar.13, 1973) (unpublished) (developing the factors). 21 The oft-cited Frankenhauser test consists of weighing the following ten factors: (1) the extent to which disclosure will thwart governmental processes by discouraging citizens from giving the government information; (2) the impact upon persons who have given information of having their identities disclosed; (3) the degree to which governmental self-evaluation and consequent program improvement will be chilled by disclosure; (4) whether the information sought is factual data or evaluative summary; (5) whether the party seeking discovery is an actual or potential defendant in any criminal proceeding either pending or reasonably likely to follow from the incident in question; (6) whether the police investigation has been completed; (7) whether any interdepartmental disciplinary proceedings have arisen or may arise from the investigation; (8) whether the plaintiff's suit is non-frivolous and brought in good faith; (9) whether the information sought is available through other discovery or from other sources; (10) the importance of the information sought to the plaintiff's case. See Tuite v. Henry, 98 F.3d 1411, 1417 (D.C.Cir.1996) (utilizing the Frankenhauser factors). Although a district court has considerable leeway in weighing the different factors, ... the failure to balance at all requires remand ... to consider the respective interests. In re Sealed Case, 856 F.2d 268, 272 (D.C.Cir.1988). Here, the district court must apply the Frankenhauser test, even if in a flexible manner, when making its privilege determinations. Coughlin, 946 F.2d at 1160 (instructing the district court to consider the Frankenhauser factors on remand in determining whether documents are discoverable). 22 Additionally, the law enforcement privilege is bounded by relevance and time constraints. Petitioner argues that documents pertaining to individuals who are under investigation, or who were investigated by ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] in the past, or who are suspected of violating the criminal or civil provisions of treaties, statutes, executive orders and presidential proclamations administered by ICE are protected. Petitioner expands the privilege's scope too broadly. Several types of information probably would not be protected, including documents pertaining to: (1) people who have been investigated in the past but are no longer under investigation, (2) people who merely are suspected of a violation without being part of an ongoing criminal investigation, and (3) people who may have violated only civil provisions. Furthermore, the privilege lapses after a reasonable period of time. See Brown, 430 F.2d at 1215; Am. Civil Liberties Union v. Finch, 638 F.2d 1336, 1344 (5th Cir. Mar. 1981) (Even the files of active law enforcement agencies lose their privileges after particular investigations become complete.) (dicta). Therefore, the privilege lapses either at the close of an investigation or at a reasonable time thereafter based on a particularized assessment of the document.