BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Criminal Investigation Division and the Burlington Police Department have appealed a judge’s conclusion that they broke state law by refusing to turn over all records after investigating a city officer’s accidental shooting of a woman. Autumn Steele was fatally shot on Jan. 6, 2015, by an officer responding to a fight between Steele and her husband. The Hawk Eye newspaper and her family filed complaints with the Iowa Public Information Board when the two agencies didn’t turn over all the records.
The Hawk Eye reports that lawyers for the two filed separate appeals Friday to the information board, which will decide whether to accept or reject Administrative Law Judge Karen Doland’s proposed opinion.
The police attorney argues that Doland relied on an “incorrect application” of Iowa code governing open records law. The investigation division’s attorney argues that Doland is wrong in interpreting “what materials may be part of an investigative file.”