June 20, 2011

Mr. B. Chase Griffith

Counsel for the Town of Little Elm

Brown & Hofmeister, L.L.P.

740 East Campbell Road, Suite 800

Richardson, Texas 75081

OR2011-08725

Dear Mr. Griffith:

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# 421027.

The Little Elm Police Department (the "department"), which you represent, received a request for a specified police report. You claim the submitted report is excepted from disclosure under sections 552.101 and 552.108 of the Government Code. We have considered the exceptions you claim and reviewed the submitted information.

Section 552.101 of the Government Code excepts from disclosure "information considered to be confidential by law, either constitutional, statutory, or by judicial decision." Gov't Code § 552.101. This section encompasses section 261.201 of the Family Code, which provides in relevant part:

(a) [T]he following information is confidential, is not subject to public release under [the Act] and may be disclosed only for purposes consistent with this code and applicable federal or state law or under rules adopted by an investigating agency:

(1) a report of alleged or suspected abuse or neglect made under this chapter and the identity of the person making the report; and

(2) except as otherwise provided in this section, the files, reports, records, communications, audiotapes, videotapes, and working papers used or developed in an investigation under this chapter or in providing services as a result of an investigation.

Fam. Code § 261.201(a). The report pertains to the department's investigation of a parent who allegedly left his twenty-two-month-old daughter at his home unattended. See id. §§ 261.001(4) (defining of "neglect" for purposes of chapter 261 of Family Code), 101.003(a) (defining "child" as a person under eighteen years of age who is not and has not been married and who has not had the disabilities of minority removed for general purposes). Accordingly, we find the report is subject to section 261.201. You have not indicated the department has adopted a rule that governs the release of the report in this instance; therefore, we assume that no such regulation exists. Given that assumption, we conclude the report is confidential under section 261.201. See Open Records Decision No. 440 at 2 (1986) (predecessor statute). Accordingly, the department must withhold the report under section 552.101 of the Government Code in conjunction with section 261.201 of the Family Code. ⁽¹⁾

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/eb

Ref: ID# 421027

Enc. Submitted documents

c: Requestor

(w/o enclosures)

Footnotes

1. As our ruling is dispositive, we need not address your remaining argument against disclosure.

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