Parkland School Footage Case Goes To Supreme Court

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Parkland, FL - Prosecutors have asked the Florida Supreme Court to take up a dispute about whether more surveillance-camera footage should be released from the afternoon when a gunman killed 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

A panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal, in a 2-1 decision last week, upheld a circuit judge’s ruling that the school camera footage should be made available, but the Broward County State Attorney’s Office on Friday filed a notice of taking the issue to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court, however, indicated Monday it would not move forward with the case until after the 4th District Court of Appeal rules on a motion for rehearing.

Some footage from the school was released in March, but media organizations expanded the request as they sought additional information about the response of law-enforcement officers to the Feb. 14 mass shooting.

The Broward County School Board objected to the additional request, pointing to concerns that the video could divulge security vulnerabilities on the school’s campus.

Also, the Broward County State Attorney’s Office objected to releasing the additional footage, saying it was part of an active criminal investigation. But a majority of the appeals court rejected both arguments and said the Broward Sheriff’s Office must release the footage.

The majority pointed, in part, to what is known as a “good cause” exception to a law that typically shields the release of information about security systems.