A court is ordering the Pennsylvania State Police to release records sought by The Associated Press about work that its employees perform while they are off-duty.
The Commonwealth Court opinion filed Monday upholds an earlier decision by the state Office of Open Records that was appealed by the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association.
The troopers' union had argued that releasing the records could act as a road map to someone seeking to harm an off-duty trooper. But the majority opinion written by Judge Johnny J. Butler says the union and state police didn't prove that releasing the records would endanger troopers.
Last year, a moonlighting state trooper was connected to off-field incidents involving quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Pittsburgh Steelers star sometimes used the trooper friend as his personal assistant.
