Public records audit: why and how it was carried out
By Terrence Petty, Associated Press Writer

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Why send volunteers into local government offices across Oregon to seek access to public documents? To test whether those offices are prepared to abide by Oregon's Public Records Law.
	The audit, called Project Open Oregon, was organized by the Associated Press Newspaper Executives organization and by the Oregon chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
	The project was intended to provide a snapshot of what members of the public might encounter when trying to access government documents they're legally entitled to review.
	Access to documents is crucial in a democracy because they show how the government spends taxpayers' money and how elected officials perform. Similar audits have been conducted by The Associated Press and its member newspapers around the United States.
	Starting last July, a committee of APNE editors and SPJ members began holding meetings and conference calls to discuss which public records to seek, where those records are located and who should be going to the government offices to ask for them.
	After consulting with an attorney, the committee chose five documents that are legally accessible to all citizens: city managers' expense reports, city budgets, school superintendents' contracts, police records of people arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated, and concealed weapons permit applications.
	Those records were selected because they are public documents under Oregon law, and because they are the kinds or records everyday citizens might want to review.
	The committee chose about three dozen volunteers from across the state to act as auditors. They included college students, homemakers, retirees and others. Each was eager to participate.
	Newspaper editors trained the auditors, instructing them how to request a public record, what their demeanor should be and how to respond if their request was rejected.
	On Jan. 19, the volunteers fanned out to selected cities in all 36 counties. One of them drove 300 miles. They walked into city halls, school district offices, police departments and county sheriff's offices and asked for the documents.
	The auditors filled out forms describing whether the requests were granted or rejected. Comments by public officials made during the audit were noted on the forms. All of the information was entered into a database. The project's coordinators carefully analyzed the database, calling auditors in cases where clerks' and officials' responses seemed unclear.
	Two attorneys and the state Attorney General's office were also consulted about those responses.
	The result is the package of stories and graphics sent to newspapers across the state.