Texas Attorney General ruling issued June 3, 2026, regarding a TPIA request to the Colorado County Sheriff’s Department for audio and video recordings from the county jail.
OAG Reference: OR2026-023014 Governmental Body: Colorado County Sheriff’s Department Counsel for CCSO: J. Eric Magee, Allison, Bass & Magee, L.L.P. Request received by CCSO: March 9, 2026 OAG ID: 26-022995
Ruling Summary #
The AG ruled that CCSO may withhold all submitted audio and video recordings:
- Audio recordings — withheld under §552.103, deferring to the prior ruling in OR2026-017060 with no independent analysis.
- Video recordings — withheld under §552.101 in conjunction with §418.182 of the Government Code (Texas Homeland Security Act), on the basis that jail surveillance footage relates to the “specifications, operating procedures, or location of a security system.”
Procedural Violation Found #
The AG found CCSO failed to comply with §552.301 — the department did not establish it met the 10-business-day deadline to seek a ruling. The envelope submitting the request to the OAG had no postmark, and CCSO provided no other proof of the mailing date.
Under §552.302, this procedural failure triggers a legal presumption that the requested information is public. The AG proceeded to analyze only §552.101 as a potential “compelling reason” to overcome that presumption, and declined to address CCSO’s remaining claimed exception (§552.103) due to the procedural default.
§418.182 — Security System Exception #
The AG accepted CCSO’s argument that jail interior video recordings are confidential under the Texas Homeland Security Act because they “relate to the specifications, operating procedures, or location of a security system used to protect public or private property from an act of terrorism or related criminal activity.” The AG cited Tex. Dep’t of Pub. Safety v. Abbott, 310 S.W.3d 670 (Tex. App.—Austin 2010, no pet.).
The ruling is explicitly limited to the representative sample submitted and does not authorize withholding of records containing substantially different types of information.
Documents #
or2026023014.pdf— OAG Ruling OR2026-023014, June 3, 2026