Public Records Training, Free Copies, and a Pot of Gold!
Public Records Briefing - Edition #83
It’s St. Patrick’s Day! One of your PRB team is a native Irishman so he gets a bit excited!
For all you single lads and ladies out there who hope the luck of the Irish will help you find a mate, we found this helpful resource. Use at your own risk. (We are not legally responsible for the reactions you get from these pickup lines.)
Our professional recommendation is that you read today’s edition with this song lightly playing in the back to really get you in the right spirits.
Anyways, let’s get to the real pot of gold at the end of the rainbow…
Public Records Training
Ohio’s public records law is one of the most complex in the country — and it changes every year. If you don’t stay updated, the financial penalties for violations can be severe. With major changes recently enacted, it’s more important than ever to ensure your agency is fully compliant.
Our 2025 public records training is your chance to get up to speed and avoid costly mistakes. Led by Ohio’s leading public records law experts, this training will equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to navigate the ever-changing legal landscape with confidence.
You can sign up for day 1, day 2, or both days. Day 1 is a full day of foundational public records law whereas day 2 will give you a full day of advanced law enforcement public records. You can attend virtually or in-person!
WHEN: April 7th & 21st 2025
PRICE: $325/ person
TIME: 9am-4pm
LOCATION: Genoa Twp. Police Department 6921 Big Walnut Rd., Galena, OH 43021
Lunch and snacks will be provided during the day. If you have any questions, you can email Info@CommunicationsCounsel.com.
ICYMI
In case you missed it, we had our most recent subscriber-only Zoom training this week. We served alcohol because – well – we needed it. That’s because Mark and Ryan talked about the new law allowing agencies to charge for the time and expense it takes to redact video records like body cameras. Slides from the presentation are at the end of this edition.
We also shared a model policy your agency can adopt to decide whether and how to charge for these video records. A link to that model policy is at the end of this edition.
Slides from the presentation are at the end of this edition. We’re asking everyone who downloads our model policy to review it and then send suggestions for improvement. Once we review those and make improvements, we will send out the final new and improved version in the next Public Records Briefing (March 31, 2025). Then you can review with your attorney ahead of the April 3, 2025 implementation of the new statute.
NOTE: If you don’t have a policy in place by April 3, 2025, that does not mean your agency is outside of compliance with the new law. The law doesn’t even require you to have a policy! We just think having a good policy will reduce the likelihood that your agency will be successfully sued.
Exceptions A thru ZZ to 149.43
We continue to dance our way through all the statutory exceptions contained in R.C. 149.43 and there are more of them than Irish bars in Dublin!
This week, we're getting into the exception that protects depictions of victims throughout various mediums. Not everything our Ohio lawmakers do seems like a good idea, but this statutory exception seems like they got it right this time! R.C. 149.43(A)(1)(ii) protects two different types of depictions of victims by photograph, film, videotape, or printed or digital image.