Living in the United States means that most people respect your privacy. Seldom does anyone take much notice of the books we read, the movies or television shows we watch, or even whether we are patrons of the theater or opera.

But all that privacy goes out the window when you become a victim of a crime. If someone is killed in an automobile accident or fire their name is published. The same is true of victims of crime.

Now, after years of cooperating with the media, the National Parks Services is sending a new message regarding the release of names of visitors who die in national parks. When the Salt Lake Tribune filed a Freedom of Information Act request to get the names of people killed in accidents on and around Lake Powell the request was denied with an FOIA official saying that such information might result in "harassment, unofficial questioning or unwanted public attention, thereby causing the living relatives of the decedents a great deal of emotional distress."

Shortly after the denial of the FOIA request, the Parks Service issued a memo telling park officials to withhold some personal information about those involved in motor vehicle accidents. Now government lawyers are looking at the conflicts between information released in the past and these new recommended procedures.

Newspapers are up in arms, including the reasonably conservative daily paper in Colorado Springs, "The Gazette," which editorialized that they would "…come down on the side of releasing as much information as possible." Claiming that "Besides the government’s almost Orwellian concern over ‘unofficial questioning,’ there’s really no reason to deny the public information about what happens in their national parks. As for worries about victims’ lost privacy, when one recreates in public, one accepts that one’s actions are open to public scrutiny."

It is my opinion that The Gazette is dead wrong – visiting a park should not be a matter of public record and victims are entitled to a reasonable degree of privacy.  The Gazette now charges for publishing obituaries  (somehow that my itself just does not seem right) and chasing ambulances in the hope that they can publish the resulting obituary also seems wrong. For The Gazette, in making their point, to question "Are Park Service officials concerned that some enterprising reporter might find something amiss in their handling of tragedies or safety issues?" is both inappropriate and very wrong. This is not a matter of hiding anything – it is a matter of privacy.

What say you?

About The Author:
Attorney Edward A. ("Ted") Bills can be reached at 719.444.1000 or at http://www.SpringsAttorney.com.

Attorney Ted Bills has one mission – to fight for the rights of personal injury victims and those who have been devastated by the misconduct of others – he represents clients with an aggressive approach designed to provide SWIFT justice.

Attorney Bills is a member of the American Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, and the El Paso County (Colorado Springs) Bar Association. He works in tandem with his clients to provide assertive, business-savvy, legal services that solve problems, reduce delays, and minimize costs.

Nothing on this site constitutes an attorney-client relationship nor does it constitute legal advice.