SLED chief: Keep agents’ access to death records

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s top cop wants legislators to ensure that agents who investigate child deaths continue to have access to records like autopsy reports and birth certificates.

State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel told a special legislative panel Tuesday that he doesn’t want a recent state Supreme Court ruling to hamper his agents’ ability to work such cases.

Keel spoke to the state Senate’s Freedom of Information Act Study Committee. Members discussed the high court’s ruling last month that autopsies are medical records and fall under privacy provisions of the open records law.

Panel members also discussed another recent court decision that public meetings don’t have to have a list of topics to be discussed — and if they do have an agenda, it can be changed during a meeting.

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Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP