The Brownsville Police Department is seeking an opinion from the Texas Attorney General regarding The Rider’s request for the report regarding a pair of suspicious packages intercepted last month at the UTRGV Brownsville and Edinburg campuses.
The newspaper requested information from the Brownsville Police Department on the Oct. 30 incident the same day.
On Nov. 9, the Brownsville Police Department replied to The Rider’s public information request with a letter stating that the information is exempt from disclosure, according to Sections 552.101 and 552.108 of the Texas Government Code and is also seeking the opinion from the attorney general.
Texas Government Code 552.101 states, “Information is excepted from the requirements of Section 552.021 if it is information considered to be confidential by law, either constitutional, statutory, or by judicial decision.”
Code 552.108 states the “release of the information would interfere with the detection, investigation, or prosecution of crime,” among other conditions.
In its letter, the Police Department states the report is still under investigation.
“Subsequently, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Police has requested that this department not release any information. We take the position, concurrent with UTRGV Police that releasing such information will interfere and inhibit the UTRGVPD with the detection, investigation and/or prosecution of crime. Releasing such information will disclose law enforcement investigative techniques that would hamper police efforts in apprehending the suspect in the alleged crimes,” the letter states.
In an email sent to the campus community on Oct. 30, UTRGV’s Marketing and Communications stated UTRGV Police intercepted and isolated two suspicious packages before they reached their destinations.
The packages posed no threat to the campus community, according to the email.
A letter to the attorney general was sent by the Brownsville Police Department records division on Nov. 8 requesting an opinion regarding disclosure of the information.
