A new Illinois State Police policy could silence whistleblowers that expose corruption, impropriety or wrongdoing within the police department by prohibiting employees from talking to news reporters. The gag order came soon after a November 2004 Chicago television news station story exposed improper conduct on the part of state police guarding the governor. The report questioned the size of the governor’s security force on out-of-state trips and detailed how bodyguards allowed unauthorized people to drive or ride in state vehicles, among other things.

The Bureau of Reclamation refuses to disclose safety details about the Jackson Lake Dam to a county official trying to verify his county is out of harm’s way. The Teton County Commissioner, Bill Paddleford, wants the information as part of the area’s emergency planning, which includes the city of Jackson.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has been strongly criticized for its overuse of secrecy and lack of transparency, is now pushing to lock down information among congressional offices. DHS officials have asked congressional aides to sign nondisclosure agreements that would prohibit them from publicly disclosing information from DHS even though the information is unclassified.

California citizens passed a new open government proposal on Nov. 2 that embeds requirements for open records and meetings into the state constitution. The measure, Proposition 59, passed with 83 percent supporting it. Although California has state open records and meetings laws, they have been weakened by court decisions, agency interpretations, and other actions to the point that adequate access to government information is not guaranteed. Both the California House and Senate unanimously passed the measure earlier this year. Specifically, the amendment will: