Some Tennessee agencies are violating public record laws

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A newly released audit shows that some government agencies across Tennessee are making it difficult for citizens to access public records and are even violating state law.

The audit by the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government (TCOG) sought public records policies in 306 counties, school districts and cities from October 2017 to March 2018.

A state law that passed two years ago mandated that every government entity in Tennessee establish a written public records policy.

The survey found that some policies had rigid requirements, such as requiring people to show a driver’s license to get access to public records or barring citizens from using their smartphones to take pictures of documents. TCOG’s audit also found that some agencies had not adopted a policy or would not produce it.