Opinion: Colorado public defender’s office is indeed transparent

From The Denver Post:  By Doug Wilson

Many media outlets, including The Denver Post, have alleged that Colorado’s Office of the State Public Defender (OSPD) is not transparent. Several elected officials — including state Reps. Rhonda Fields and Polly Lawrence, Sen. David Balmer and some prosecutors — have opined the same.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that the OSPD is both transparent and accountable for every tax dollar we receive.

Our agency’s budget information is readily accessible on our website: pdweb.coloradodefenders.us. We submit that information to the legislature for approval annually. Our job descriptions and salary ranges are posted as well. Additionally, as a state agency, we are part of the Colorado Transparency Online Project, which provides the public with information concerning every state agency’s monthly expenditures. That link is also on our website.

What you will not find on our website, or anywhere else for public viewing, is information about any individual client’s case, including expenses related to that case. When our critics complain about a “lack of transparency and accountability,” they are really complaining about the fact that we have followed the law by steadfastly refusing to release to anyone case-specific information relating to our representation of James Holmes.

Visit The Denver Post for more.

 

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