AGRiP Webinar: Understanding and Responding to First Amendment Audits

Who Should Attend

• Risk management staff

• Governing body members who serve in local entities

Speakers

• Sam Light, General Counsel, Colorado Intergovernmental Risk Sharing Agency

• Matthew Peter, Interim Executive Director, Local Government Insurance Trust

• Kim Santin, Executive Director, North Bay Schools Insurance Authority

In an age of heightened transparency and public scrutiny, local entity staff are consistently navigating the long-term trend of what have come to be called First Amendment Audits, the filming of local entity staff doing work in public spaces. These situations often are understandably unfamiliar and stressful for local entity staff, and can lead to claims against local entities.

Attendees will hear about:

• Typical tactics and common motivations of First Amendment auditors

• A refresher on the First Amendment, free speech protections, and where members of the public have the right to record

• Tips for interacting with and avoiding escalation with auditors

• Steps local entities can take to clearly identify public and non-public spaces, including areas that should be deemed non-public due to their use (such as interior areas of jails or health facilities, sensitive utilities facilities, etc.)

• How public entity pools can support local entity members

• Resources to help pools and local entities