News-Record.com

Folks have been digging for whatever info they can get about the discrimination complaints filed by black police officers against the City of Greensboro.

It's understandable, since federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaints are kept confidential, unless they go to court. The details of the complaints have been unclear.

Here's what Scoop can tell you right now: the city has not reached a settlement with the officers. There have only been settlement negotiations, which have been going back and forth since early this year.

The current City Council decided to work to resolve the complaints and other lawsuits swirling around the police department. They have consistently held closed session briefings to discuss legal issues.

If and when council actually reaches an agreement with the officers, it's not clear whether the city will give it out to the public. State law dictates that all kinds of settlement agreements are public record. In fact, the law prohibits sealed settlements.

"The only exception to the provision that public body settlments are public relates to medical malpractice claims," said Amanda Martin, of the North Carolina Press Association.

But, City attorney Terry Wood points out, state law also specifically limits the information cities can give out about employees.

Council has, in recent years, leaned toward public disclosure of information. Several council members said recently that they believed that any settlement would be a matter of public record.

"We would have to vote on it publicly," Mayor Yvonne Johnson said.