California Public Records Request to Name Police

[huntsab]

My question involves court procedures for the state of:CA

Over two months ago, a young man died after a traffic stop in my small town in CA. Police say the man fought with two police officers. The police admit the young man was tasered at some point. It is unclear if he died at the scene or at the hospital.

The police have not released these officers' names or any further information. There are no entries on the police blotter for a period of seven hours. Can police remove/alter a public document?

I filed a public records request for the officers' names and gave them a copy of CA Attorney General Brown's Opinion No. 07-208:

"In response to a request made under the California Public Records Act for the names of peace officers involved in a critical incident, such as one in which lethal force was used, a law enforcement agency must disclose those names unless, on the facts of the particular case, the public interest served by not disclosing the names clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosing the names."

They have denied all my requests stating the incident is under investigation.

What do I need to do to ask a judge to review the request and make this decision? Do I need an attorney?

Thank you.

[GreenEyedGuru]

You could try calling the AG's office. I'd do that before retaining private counsel. Also contacting local newspapers might make sense.