 ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS GREG ABBOTT | |
 |
January 10, 2011 Ms. Cecilia Gamez, CSS-CL Crime Records Bureau McAllen Police Department P.O. Box 220 McAllen, Texas 78501 OR2011-00438 Dear Ms Gamez: You ask whether certain information is subject to required public disclosure under the Public Information Act (the "Act"), chapter 552 of the Government Code. Your request was assigned ID# 407550 (Case #2010-075965). The McAllen Police Department (the "department") received a request for the full report for case number 2010-75965. You claim the submitted report is excepted from disclosure under section 552.108 of the Government Code. We have considered the exception you claim and reviewed the submitted information. We note the submitted report involves an alleged violation of section 32.51 of the Penal Code, which provides that "[a] person commits an offense if the person, with the intent to harm or defraud another, obtains, possesses, transfers, or uses an item of . . . identifying information of another person without the other person's consent[.]" Penal Code § 32.51(b)(1). For purposes of section 32.51, "identifying information" includes an individual's name and financial institution account number. Id. § 32.51(a)(1)(A), (C). Article 2.29 of the Code of Criminal Procedure pertains to alleged violations of section 32.51 that occurred on or after September 1, 2005 and provides: (a) A peace officer to whom an alleged violation of Section 32.51, Penal Code, is reported shall make a written report to the law enforcement agency that employs the peace officer that includes the following information: (1) the name of the victim; (2) the name of the suspect, if known; (3) the type of identifying information obtained, possessed, transferred, or used in violation of Section 32.51, Penal Code; and (4) the results of any investigation. (b) On the victim's request, the law enforcement agency shall provide the report created under Subsection (a) to the victim. In providing the report, the law enforcement agency shall redact any otherwise confidential information that is included in the report, other than the information described by Subsection (a). Crim. Proc. Code art. 2.29. For purposes of article 2.29, an offense is committed on or after September 1, 2005 if no "element of the offense occurs before that date." Act of Jun. 17, 2005, 79th Leg., R.S., ch. 294, § 1(b), 2005 Tex. Gen. Laws 885. In this instance, the submitted report pertains to check forgery, which constitutes an alleged violation of section 32.51. The requestor is the victim of the alleged identity theft listed in the report, and the alleged offense occurred after September 1, 2005. Therefore, the report is subject to article 2.29 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and must be released to the requestor, except to the extent that it contains confidential information. See Crim. Proc. Code art. 2.29. You claim the report is excepted from disclosure under section 552.108 of the Government Code. However, section 552.108 is a discretionary exception that does not make information confidential. See Open Records Decision Nos. 665 at 2 n.5 (2000) (discretionary exceptions generally), 586 (1991) (governmental body may waive section 552.108). Therefore, the report may not be withheld under section 552.108 of the Government Code. However, we note a portion of the report is subject to section 552.136 of the Government Code. (1) As this exception is a confidentiality provision, we will address its applicability to the submitted report. Section 552.136 of the Government Code provides that "[n]otwithstanding any other provision of [the Act], a credit card, debit card, charge card, or access device number that is collected, assembled, or maintained by or for a governmental body is confidential." Gov't Code § 552.136(b). An access device number is one that may be used to (1) obtain money, goods, services, or another thing of value, or (2) initiate a transfer of funds other than a transfer originated solely by paper instrument. Id. § 552.136(a). Accordingly, the department must withhold the bank account number we marked under section 552.136 of the Government Code. In summary, the department must withhold the bank account number we marked under section 552.136 of the Government Code. (2) The remaining information must be released to the requestor. This letter ruling is limited to the particular information at issue in this request and limited to the facts as presented to us; therefore, this ruling must not be relied upon as a previous determination regarding any other information or any other circumstances. This ruling triggers important deadlines regarding the rights and responsibilities of the governmental body and of the requestor. For more information concerning those rights and responsibilities, please visit our website at http://www.oag.state.tx.us/open/index_orl.php, or call the Office of the Attorney General's Open Government Hotline, toll free, at (877) 673-6839. Questions concerning the allowable charges for providing public information under the Act must be directed to the Cost Rules Administrator of the Office of the Attorney General, toll free at (888) 672-6787. Sincerely, Kenneth Leland Conyer Assistant Attorney General Open Records Division KLC/vb Ref: ID# 407550 Enc. Submitted documents c: Requestor (w/o enclosures) Footnotes1. The Office of the Attorney General will raise mandatory exceptions on behalf of a governmental body, but ordinarily will not raise other exceptions. See Open Records Decision Nos. 481 (1987), 480 (1987), 470 (1987). 2. We note this office issued Open Records Decision No. 684 (2009), a previous determination to all governmental bodies authorizing them to withhold ten categories of information, including bank account numbers under section 552.136 of the Government Code, without the necessity of requesting an attorney general decision.
POST OFFICE BOX 12548, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78711-2548 TEL: (512) 463-2100 WEB: WWW.OAG.STATE.TX.US |