Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office withholds Taser video, sparking transparency concerns

SANTA CLARA COUNTY LEADERS promised full transparency when they approved the deployment of Tasers in the jails. Now sheriff’s deputies are using them — and county leaders don’t want the public to see the videos.

The county has repeatedly denied California Public Records Act requests by civil rights advocates seeking the body-worn camera footage of deputies firing their newly-approved Tasers at incarcerated people. In letters responding to advocates’ requests, county lawyers have argued the footage is exempt because it’s considered a record of investigation and part of an ongoing case file. And while the discharge of a firearm is considered exempt from this loophole, county lawyers said they don’t consider a Taser a “firearm.”