How to Recognize and Respond to First Amendment “Audits”

Webinar Overview:
Washington local governments have been experiencing so-called “First Amendment audits,” where private individuals unexpectedly arrive at an agency office building and begin recording their interaction with officials and staff. The intent of these “audits” is to test how the agency responds to the asserted First Amendment rights of the auditor, which can be challenging to deal with appropriately in the moment. This webinar, offered in partnership with Washington Cities Insurance Authority (WCIA), will prepare local government staff and officials on how to best address First Amendment auditors when they arrive at your agency’s front counter or your public meeting. It will cover the auditors’ legal rights, control measures local governments can implement, and de-escalation techniques staff can utilize if the situation becomes contentious.

Educational Objectives:

This webinar’s goal is to provide attendees with a better understanding of First Amendment auditors’ legal rights and appropriate responses local governments can take when faced with First Amendment audits. The main learning objectives are to:

• Help local governments recognize First Amendment auditors, understand their motivation, and anticipate where the audits may occur.
• Explain the laws applicable to First Amendment audit situations, including the legality of recording videos in public spaces and distinguishing protected speech from prohibited speech or actions.
• Identify best practices to prepare for First Amendment auditors, including setting agency policies and educating staff and officials.
• Provide strategies for interacting with auditors to avoid escalation, de-escalate contentious situations, and ensure staff safety.

Who Should Attend:

Front-counter staff, managers, agency attorneys and elected officials who need to be prepared when a First Amendment audit occurs.

Presenters:

• Janelle Tarasewicz, Principal Consultant for Aperture EQ. Janelle is a learning and development professional with over 20 years of experience helping private and public-sector managers and employees improve individual and team performance. Janelle has also spent over 15 years as a psychology instructor and is currently a faculty member at Bellevue College. Janelle holds a Master’s degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from the University of Southern California (USC). Janelle is a current doctoral student at USC, working toward her Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership.
• Harry Boesche, Legal Consultant, MRSC. Harry joined MRSC as a legal consultant in April 2024. A municipal attorney with over 20 years of experience, he has served as a prosecutor and legal advisor to various Puget Sound local governments including Auburn, Tumwater, Roy, and Ruston. In addition to his legal practice, he has been a paralegal instructor at Tacoma Community College for over 20 years, teaching courses in labor and employment law, legal writing and civil procedure.
• Flannary Collins, Managing Attorney, MRSC (Moderator). Flannary first joined MRSC as a legal consultant in August 2013 after serving as assistant city attorney for the city of Shoreline where she advised all city departments on a wide range of issues. At MRSC, Flannary enjoys providing legal guidance to municipalities on all municipal issues, including the OPMA, PRA, and elected officials’ roles and responsibilities. She also serves on the WSAMA Board of Directors as Secretary-Treasurer.

Training Scholarships:

• Enduris is pleased to offer scholarships for this MRSC webinar. As an Enduris member, your district is eligible for one (1) registration scholarship per entity. Funding is provided in the form of entity reimbursement; please submit reimbursement requests to memberrelations@enduris.us. For questions regarding scholarship opportunities or training, please contact Sindy Joseph at sjoseph@enduris.us.

Registration closes on Monday, July 15 at 5 PM. All registrants will also receive a link to view the webinar recording.

Payment Policy: Payment for this webinar is completed online by credit card. If you need to be billed, there will be a $5.00 administrative fee added to the cost of registration. Please contact Jacob Rice (jrice@mrsc.org) if you need to request an invoice for this webinar.

Refund Policy: Refunds of the webinar fee will be provided in full if registration is canceled before Monday, July 15 at 11:59 PM. After that, refunds will be provided minus a $5.00 administrative fee up until the start of the webinar. Please contact Jacob Rice (jrice@mrsc.org) if you need to request a refund.

If you are registered for the webinar and are unable to attend, you will still be able to view the recorded webinar afterwards. However, if you cancel your registration, you will not receive a link to the recording.