Belmont Passes Public Records Test

“In one form or another, we are getting requests every day. It’s constant,” said Cushman. “[But] that is one of the things I am paid for.”Belmont became one of the small number of towns in Massachusetts to pass one of the largest-ever audits on how communities in the state respond to requests for government records, Wicked Local is reporting.

The results come as legislators are battling over public records reform in Massachusetts, a state historically known for having some of the worst public records access in the country.

Late last year, a Northeastern University journalism class taught by Mike Beaudet, an investigative reporter for WCVB-TV, mailed requests to the city or town clerk and police chief for all 351 communities in the state asking for reports on municipal workers’ salaries and “use of force” policies describing when police officers can use their weapons.

Currently, public agencies must respond to a public records inquiry with information including whether the request has been approved or denied, a fee estimate and other pertinent information within 10 calendar days. If approved, the agency must provide the actual records as soon as practical.

A staggering 58 percent of communities did not respond to both written requests from Northeastern University within the 10-day limit. 132 police departments and 123 town clerk offices were late as well. Some communities did not respond at all, and other towns charged hefty fees for documents.

“The public expects a certain amount of transparency within their police department, and our philosophy is if we can share information with you, we are going to do it,” Assistant Police Chief James Macisaac told Wicked Local. “When you get a request as simple as use of force policy – which is on many websites now – and you throw up a fence and don’t want to let it out, I think that can send a message to the community.”

Part of the town’s success can be attributed to strong organization.

The town says it can get costly if town employees must spend excessive amounts of time obtaining or preparing information that is pulling them away from their daily responsibilities, but it will do its best to provide the public the information it is seeking.

“In one form or another, we are getting requests every day. It’s constant,” Town Clerk Ellen O’Brien Cushman told Wicked Local. “But that is one of the things I am paid for.”