SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The Sandy Springs public dashboard where residents can find safety information from the Sandy Springs Police Department was deactivated Nov. 14.
It reappeared later in the week with a few changes. One big difference is that the city removed the ability to see arrests, suspects and charges. The only material left is a list of motor vehicle accidents and incidents – many of which simply say “Information Report.”
Sandy Springs uses the same dashboard software as other cities Appen Media covers. It is the only city that does not list arrests, suspects or charges on that page.
Police officials attributed the shift to an update from its software vendor Central Square. Other cities using the platform have not yet experienced the same change.
The department says arrest information “will be available in the near future,” and encourages the public to file Open Records requests for information.
Anyone can file a request here and the city is obligated to respond within three days.
Lawsuit update
Appen Media and the Sandy Springs Crier filed a lawsuit against the City of Sandy Springs in May, alleging the newspaper has repeatedly been denied access to public documents. Since then, the news organization and the municipality have furnished materials, deposed witnesses and met with Fulton County Superior Court officials.
Appen Media has paid for the legal fight out of pocket while the city spends taxpayer dollars.
Return to appenmedia.com for updates on the case.
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