Nick Hrkman, community impact editor of the Dayton Daily News in Dayton, Ohio, received third-place honors in the over 35,000 circulation category of the Editorials category of the Carmage Walls Commentary Prize competition.
Third-place includes a curved glass plaque and a cash prize of $500.
Hrkman said: “Across the country, legislation that originated in California to protect victims of crime has started to be used by law enforcement agencies to shield police from records requests. Ohio’s version of ‘Marsy’s Law,’ also known as The Ohio Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights, was passed last year and has been used multiple times to block records requests for officer-involved shootings and other violent incidents. We wrote an editorial encouraging state lawmakers to reconsider the implementation of Marsy’s Law so it focuses on giving victims rights in the courts without undoing the public’s right to information regarding public safety and police accountability.”
Among the comments made by contest judges:
