Llodra Calls on Lawmakers to Block Release of 12/14 Crime Scene Photos

First Selectman Pat Llodra is asking lawmakers to keep information about the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting -- specifically, crime scene photos -- private, according to an open letter she sent to the assembly today.

Calling on lawmakers to "make the compassionate choice," Llodra thanked them for their consideration to Newtown and asked them to "dig deep again into that reservoir of compassion and  commitment to the common good."

"I cannot imagine a 'good' that would come from release of the photos, especially of the child victims," said Llodra. "Who benefits from seeing the horror of that event played and replayed for eternity in digital format? I can only imagine the ongoing emotional pain of the parents, siblings, and extended families of the victims."

A bill crafted by Gov. Dannel Malloy's office would allow potentially disturbing information -- like crime scene photos, videos and 911 recordings -- to be withheld from the public without the consent of family members, the Associated Press reported Sunday. On Friday, about 20 family members of 12/14 shooting victims traveled to Hartford in favor of the bill, the AP said, petitioning lawmakers to keep records private.

Some free-speech advocates have criticized the bill, including members of the Society of Professional Journalists, who said they were "alarmed" by the idea in a letter to Gov. Dannel Malloy penned by SPJ president Sonny Albarado and SPJ Connecticut President Jodie Mozdzer Gill.

"The Society condemns the creation of this legislation outside the normal, transparent process of public hearings and debate," wrote Albarado and Gill. "And we deplore the attempt to use the tragic events of Dec. 14 as an excuse to close off access to records that are otherwise available to the public."

Llodra singled out "elevated rhetoric between and among truthers, conspiracy theorists, and those with narrow political goals" to illustrate the harm she said could come from releasing crime scene photos, which she said would "not be in the best interest of humanity."