Police deny access to records

Debra Erdley of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that police agencies in Western Pennsylvania don’t always comply with the state’s public records laws: “About 40 percent of 217 police agencies surveyed declined to provide access to daily call sheets or police blotters.” Police usually cite ongoing investigations or confidentiality concerns when withholding access, but “the law and court rulings consistently say that the public has a right to examine police blotters or call sheets that detail the time, location and nature of daily police activities.”