(July 8, 2008)--State officials don't have to release video surveillance tapes of the Governor's Mansion from the night it was gutted by fire because of the ongoing criminal investigation, according to an opinion from the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Fire investigators suspect arson in the June 8 fire that severely damaged the 152-year-old mansion, which was undergoing at $10 million renovation.
The Department of Public Safety received a request for the surveillance tapes from The Associated Press and other news agencies, but DPS cited the arson investigation and its need to protect public property from terrorism as reasons to keep the tapes secret.
Attorney General Greg Abbott's office responded to the DPS in a letter dated July 3.
The opinion says the footage of the 152-year-old structure is exempt from disclosure because of the criminal investigation.
The state’s Open Records law has a specific exemption for material related to ongoing criminal investigations.
Texas Attorney General’s Web Site
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