Court of Appeals to Grand Rapids: Turn Over Recordings to MLive [VIDEO]

The Michigan Court of Appeals has ordered the City of Grand Rapids to turn over to MLive Media Group police recordings about a car crash involving Kent County Assistant Prosecutor Josh Kuiper.

The phone calls were recorded after a car crash where a prosecutor was suspected of drunk driving.

The recordings appear to show police officers trying to avoid arresting the prosecutor.

The city argued the recordings fell under an exemption to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The city said there was a pending federal court case surrounding the incident and the officers did not know they were being recorded. But the Court of Appeals disagreed.

The requests were “Journalism 101” said Vice President of Content for MLive Media Group, John Hiner.

Author

Cheyna Roth
Cheyna Roth is the co-host and creator of WDET's state politics podcast, MichMash. She has been an audio journalist for almost a decade, covering major events like presidential elections, college scandals, the Michigan Legislature and more, appearing on NPR and across Michigan public radio stations. Cheyna is also a senior producer and podcast host for Slate.com, having produced and hosted shows like Political Gabfest, The Waves, and What Next TBD. Also an author, Cheyna has written two true crime books and her written work has appeared in Broadly, Slate, and MLive, among others.
View all posts