Officer threatened me with arrest if I did not give my 18 year old son his birth certificate and social security card
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.
