Falling short of the task

Lost in the holiday madness and President Trump’s incessant news-making of late was a report from a Beacon Hill task force charged with examining the state’s public records law, specifically as it relates to police records. The group didn’t reach consensus on legislation, instead merely highlighting “areas of concern” that will be sure to disappear into the ether now that it has concluded its assignment.

That result shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

During a 2016 debate over updates to the state’s public records law, Beacon Hill chose not to deal with some of the thorniest issues —including whether the Legislature and the governor’s office should be exempt from the law, or whether there is a public interest in making more police records available for public inspection.

So they kicked the can down the road, appointing task forces to study those issues. After failing to meet for 18 months, the one set up to address the legislative exemption bought itself another year to report. The one that addressed police records filed its report on time — but took its cue from the Legislature by kicking its own can down the road.

“While the group could not reach consensus on proposed legislation, it highlighted areas of concern in current statutes and recommended further examination of these laws,” the chair wrote in the report. “Further examination.” Well, that sounds like a job for another task force!

The group failed to reach consensus on whether domestic violence arrests should be a matter of public record; a 2014 law largely shielded them from public view. Members couldn’t even agree on whether the state police should be required to compile a daily arrest log open to public scrutiny — a requirement for all municipal police departments.

It’s hard to blame the task force itself; as these things usually are it was set up for failure. No, the issue is with a Legislature that is willing to outsource the tough issues, with reliably unsatisfying results.