One Month So Far…

Today is my one-month mark at 9News.  I’ve done several stories that I’ve enjoyed working on, including my favorite: the missing government gas card fiasco.  I intend to follow up with that story until the case is adjudicated.   The story hit a nerve with viewers too, with many of them commenting online.  Even a local radio station picked up the story for a morning talk show.

After working in Albuquerque for the past nine years as a journalist, here are some of my personal anecdotes regarding the difference in news gathering in Colorado.

Information is More Expensive

-The cost to copy documents at local district courts is higher.  I’ve been hit with “search fees” as high as $5.00 just to get my hands on a document.  I was charged an extra $15.00 for a clerk to redact personal information from an arrest affidavit.  This took an hour for the clerk to black out lines in the documents.   I’ve noticed prices differ form court to court.  This concerns me.

I’m not sure if these costs are the norm or if the courts are looking to add extra fees in light of budget cuts.  I plan to research this.  I hope these fees aren’t arbitrary in nature.

Many Jurisdictions

-I’m used to working with one local jurisdiction.  With five large counties in the Denver area, getting to know clerks at multiple courthouse houses will take time.   This goes the same for law enforcement agencies.  With so many municipalities surrounding Denver, it will take some time getting to remember names and who’s who in the law enforcement community.

Crime and Law Enforcement

-From what I’ve encountered so far, law enforcement agencies recognize the benefits of talking about cases publicly, especially when a case is unsolved.  But then again, I’ve only worked with a handful of agencies. I haven’t worked with all of them.

The crime here in Denver certainly feels different.  Crime doesn’t constantly dominate headlines here.  There isn’t an endless parade of felons dressed in orange jumpsuits on the news either.   When crime is covered, in many cases, journalists put things into perspective when possible by offering stats.

Government Transparencey

-I’ve filed a dozen or so records requests over my first month here, and so far there haven’t been any major issues with agencies replying to me.  I did have to follow up with a coroner’s office that failed to respond to a records request.  They apologized.  I’ve also noticed some local agencies, for the most part, are pretty good about putting things online, like government spending reports, contracts and employee salaries.

One thing I don’t like is the number of exemptions in the Colorado Open Records Act that local agencies can claim when providing public records.  There’s quite a few that legislators stuck in there when drafting and/or amending the act.   I suspect this will definitely become an obstacle down the line as I file more records requests.

I’m loving my job here in Denver and I’m still learning a lot about how local government works.  For the most part things are organized similarly when it comes to the structure of state and county governments.

It’s been a great month.   Here’s to the next one!