Advisory Opinions Library
Search and research 1,071 opinions published by the Minnesota Department of Administration (1993–present). New to the legal archive? Try Exploring by topic.
Where this category sits in our topic hierarchy
Law Enforcement & Investigations (122 opinions)
Law enforcement data
Narrow down within “Law Enforcement & Investigations”
Law enforcement data (94)
Civil investigative data (29)
Peace officer records of children (2)
Expunged records/sealed records (1)
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Advisory Opinion 26-006 26-006The Commissioner opined that the City of New Prague did not initially respond appropriately to a January 20, 2026, data request for an automated license plate reader data audit trail required by Minnesota Statutes, sect…
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Advisory Opinion 26-005 26-005The Commissioner opined that the City of Minneapolis did not respond appropriately to a request for body camera data, classified by Minnesota Statutes, section 13.825 as nonpublic, that document the requester’s home and…
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Advisory Opinion 25-009 25-009Several media requesters asked whether a county sheriff’s office responded appropriately to a request for a 911 transcript. The County argued that portions of the transcript were active investigative data under section …
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Advisory Opinion 22-003 22-003A member of the public asked whether a city responded appropriately to a request for a copy of body camera data that was presented as evidence in court. The city argued that the request should have been directed to the …
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Advisory Opinion 20-004 20-004A City asked about whether it was the agency with “primary investigative responsibility” pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 13.82, subdivision 7, when the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) investigates an offic…
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Advisory Opinion 19-011 19-011A City asked about the classification of data that the police department collected from a school district pursuant to a subpoena, as part of a criminal investigation. The District argued that the data were private perso…
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Advisory Opinion 19-005 19-005A law enforcement agency asked about the classification of data in an inactive criminal investigation of an officer-involved fatal shooting. The Commissioner opined that the data were variously classified under Minnesot…
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Advisory Opinion 18-017 18-017A city asked about the classification of certain data related to the final disposition of disciplinary action in an “Investigation File,” which is now part of an active criminal investigation. The city discussed the ope…
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Advisory Opinion 18-007 18-007A City asked if it was required to provide access to a sealed criminal record pursuant to 5 USC § 9101. The language in that provision allows military recruiters to access certain records maintained by state and local l…
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Advisory Opinion 18-002 18-002A police department asked about the classification of records involving juveniles. The Commissioner opined that per Minnesota Statutes, section 260B.171, when a juvenile is or may be delinquent or is or may be involved …
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Advisory Opinion 17-008 17-008, a City asked about the classification of data that identify the location of a victim of domestic abuse, when the data are maintained by a nonprofit domestic violence advocacy agency. The Commissioner concluded that wh…
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Advisory Opinion 17-002 17-002a newspaper asked if a city police department had properly classified various data elements in various police incident reports (ICRs). The Commissioner determined that the city had properly redacted some data elements, …
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Advisory Opinion 14-018 14-018A requester asked for access to copies of contracts and non-disclosure agreements for cell phone exploitation equipment. The entity said it could not redact the documents because they contained inextricably intertwined …
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Advisory Opinion 14-013 14-013A requester asked for service and response or incident law enforcement data made public pursuant to section 13.82, subdivisions 3 and 6. The entity cited section 13.82, subdivisions 7 (active investigative data) and 13 …
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Advisory Opinion 13-013 13-013A City asked about the classification of data on a driver’s license magnetic stripe and driving citations that it wanted to collect, create, and maintain. The City argued that the data were public arrest data, pursuant …
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Advisory Opinion 12-014 12-014A County asked whether implementing a web-based automated crime mapping program would violate the rights of data subjects. The Commissioner opined that certain data subjects’ rights could be violated by the automated sy…
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Advisory Opinion 12-013 12-013The Commissioner determined that an entity appropriately denied a request for access to all data about a particular program, including data on employees who participated in the program, because the program as a whole is…
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Advisory Opinion 11-015 11-015Should a prosecutor’s office require a release of information signed by the victim prior to releasing data to that victim’s legal representative under Minnesota Statutes, section 13.82, subdivision 13?
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Advisory Opinion 10-016 10-016Did the City of Saint Paul comply with Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, in responding to a request for data from the City’s Computer-Aided Dispatch system?
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Advisory Opinion 10-005 10-005Did the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office comply with Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, when it contacted gun “Permit to Carry” holders for a certain event?
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Advisory Opinion 09-019 09-019Did Hennepin County comply with Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, when it released certain data to a third party?
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Advisory Opinion 08-035 08-035Did the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office comply with Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, regarding an October 3, 2008, request for data?
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Advisory Opinion 08-032 08-032Did the City of Hibbing comply with Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, in denying a request for a copy of “the complete report on an investigation of possible perjury on the part of Hibbing police officers who testified at…
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Advisory Opinion 08-030 08-030Did the Carver County Sheriff’s Office comply with Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, in denying a request for a copy of a booking photograph of a 16 year-old?
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Advisory Opinion 08-006 08-006Did the Stearns County Attorney comply with Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, in responding to a request for the following data related to a shooting that occurred on January 25, 2008: the names, dates of birth and city o…