PDX Citizen Reporters
Oregon Public Records Law
The Oregon Public Records Law, first enacted in 1973, is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels. The ORS 192.410(4)(a) says that a public record includes any writing that contains information that relates to the conduct of the public's business, is prepared, owned, used or maintained by a public body regardless of physical form or characteristics. If a record (a) does not relate to the conduct of the public's business and (b) is contained on a privately owned computer", then it is not a public record as defined in the law.
Anyone can request public records and a statement of purpose is not required. There are no restrictions on the use of records nor is there a specified time limit for responses.
We the People
We the People have a Right to Know according to the Supreme Court of the United States [SCOTUS], past Presidents (of both major political parties), Congress, and the United States Department of Justice. As an expression of that Right to Know, we have coordinated valuable information from a number of resources into a single, public-facing, searchable database.
![Peace Officer Standards & Training [POST] Departments](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2023-07/Brady.png?itok=xsIFvU8R "Peace Officer Standards & Training [POST] Departments")
![Organizations [Law Enforcement et al.]](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2023-07/Brady%20%282%29.png?itok=H7Pj15F8 "Organizations [Law Enforcement et al.]")
