Here are nine key takeaways from our reporting on public records laws:
1. The story: Reporter London Bishop and I reviewed the state of public records laws in Ohio to note how lawmakers and courts have chipped away at government transparency measures. Read the full story here.
2. Steps forward: Last October, an Ohio Supreme Court ruling opens up more public access to juvenile court records. Transparency advocates also note that member of the public now can challenge public record denials in the Ohio Court of Claims.
3. Steps back: A state law meant to protect crime victims is routinely used by police departments here and across Ohio to withhold from the public details of deadly officer-involved shootings.
4. Body cam: State lawmakers passed a measure — with no public notice or debate — to allow law enforcement agencies to charge up to hundreds of dollars for police body camera footage. Several local police departments say they plan to do so.
5. Coroner’s records: Another place where transparency took one step forward and two steps back is access to county coroners' records. We used access to records like this in our investigation of the Takoda Collins tragedy, which led to changes in state law.
6. Unintended consequences: In April, a bill goes into effect that prohibits the public from accessing public employee timesheets.
- The bill last year was amended to preserve journalists' access to the records after a Dayton Daily News report listing 11 examples of how public employee timesheet and payroll records have been used by this news outlet and others to investigate concerns such as public employees misreporting their time, working a second job while on the clock or taking excessive vacation time or overtime.
7. The quote: “There’s been retrenchment,” said Jack Greiner, an attorney and leading authority on Ohio Sunshine laws. “Ohio, for many years, has been very good about transparency and public records ... but some of these other developments have maybe unintended consequences.”
8. Prior reporting: A Dayton Daily News investigation last Sunshine Week found nearly 30% of government agencies across our nine-county region were found out of compliance with Ohio public records and open meetings act laws in state audits in recent years.
9. Upcoming event: We are hosting a lunch-and-learn virtual panel discussion on Wednesday, March 19 as part of our Sunshine Week coverage. Our panelists (myself included) will talk through their experiences with records requests and answer questions you might have about the process.
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