Good News.
Read this:
Gov. backs off plan on public-records fees
Gov. Ed Rendell is backing away from a plan to let state agencies charge people extra for the cost of redacting nonpublic information from public records, a spokesman said Friday.
Rendell recently issued a management directive allowing charges for the labor involved in retrieving and redacting records, but that conflicted with a new fee policy established by Terry Mutchler, director of the state Office of Open Records.
Read the rest here:
http://www.timesleader.com/news/In_brief_12-06-2008.html
Read more about How to Use a Public Records Database
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
How To Search for Public Records Online
If you're interested in knowing more about public records, you may find this article interesting:
Learn what you can and can't find out about gov't records
By Staff Reports
December 03, 2008
EAST STROUDSBURG — Are school superintendent contracts public record? Can I inspect a copy of a police report? Can a citizen obtain a 911 transcript? Are e-mails of the mayor and borough council public record? Are township supervisors' cell phone records available for inspection? How much can a public body charge to photocopy public records? Can a local agency be fined if it doesn't comply with the law?
Terry Mutchler, executive director of the new Office of Open Records, will answer these questions and others during a two-hour training for citizens and public officials of Monroe and Pike counties.
The training will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday in Beers Lecture Hall at East Stroudsburg University. Admission is free.
Read the rest here: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081203/NEWS/812030332
Read more about how to Search for Public Records Online
Learn what you can and can't find out about gov't records
By Staff Reports
December 03, 2008
EAST STROUDSBURG — Are school superintendent contracts public record? Can I inspect a copy of a police report? Can a citizen obtain a 911 transcript? Are e-mails of the mayor and borough council public record? Are township supervisors' cell phone records available for inspection? How much can a public body charge to photocopy public records? Can a local agency be fined if it doesn't comply with the law?
Terry Mutchler, executive director of the new Office of Open Records, will answer these questions and others during a two-hour training for citizens and public officials of Monroe and Pike counties.
The training will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday in Beers Lecture Hall at East Stroudsburg University. Admission is free.
Read the rest here: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081203/NEWS/812030332
Read more about how to Search for Public Records Online
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Perform a Public Records Check? not with theses sherrifs
Hey,
You may find this article interesting:
Sheriffs go too far in fighting public records
By the Union-Bulletin Editorial Board
getBylinePhoto("byline");
Many sheriff's departments in Oregon, including Umatilla County, have embarked on a campaign to get people with concealed weapons permits to sign letters or documents asking that the public record of the permit not be made available to the public.It's not often you'll find law enforcement officials lobbying people to take advantage of what may be a temporary loophole in the law.Oregon law considers concealed weapons permits public records and it says so on the permit form. Or at least it did until some departments removed that reference and added a box to check to keep the information confidential.
The waters became muddied when a Jackson County Circuit Court judge ruled that personal security could be a reason to exempt the concealed-weapons records from public scrutiny.The issue is now in the Court of Appeals, where there is a very good chance the decision will be reversed. The state's security provision was intended to apply to broad public situations, such as plans to thwart terrorists or to protect City Hall.
According to The Oregonian, this exemption has never been applied to private parties.Instead of waiting for this to work its way through the court process, the sheriff's departments are attempting to bring political pressure by scaring permit holders.
What they aren't telling them is the permits have always been open to the public, just like marriage licenses, hunting licenses, business licenses and plumber licenses...
Read more here: http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2008/12/01/opinion/daily_editorial/081201editorial.txt
Steps to Perform a Public Records Check
You may find this article interesting:
Sheriffs go too far in fighting public records
By the Union-Bulletin Editorial Board
getBylinePhoto("byline");
Many sheriff's departments in Oregon, including Umatilla County, have embarked on a campaign to get people with concealed weapons permits to sign letters or documents asking that the public record of the permit not be made available to the public.It's not often you'll find law enforcement officials lobbying people to take advantage of what may be a temporary loophole in the law.Oregon law considers concealed weapons permits public records and it says so on the permit form. Or at least it did until some departments removed that reference and added a box to check to keep the information confidential.
The waters became muddied when a Jackson County Circuit Court judge ruled that personal security could be a reason to exempt the concealed-weapons records from public scrutiny.The issue is now in the Court of Appeals, where there is a very good chance the decision will be reversed. The state's security provision was intended to apply to broad public situations, such as plans to thwart terrorists or to protect City Hall.
According to The Oregonian, this exemption has never been applied to private parties.Instead of waiting for this to work its way through the court process, the sheriff's departments are attempting to bring political pressure by scaring permit holders.
What they aren't telling them is the permits have always been open to the public, just like marriage licenses, hunting licenses, business licenses and plumber licenses...
Read more here: http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2008/12/01/opinion/daily_editorial/081201editorial.txt
Steps to Perform a Public Records Check
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)