The Indiana Office of the Public Access Counselor received 1,880 inquiries and complaints this past year, an increase of 199 cases. Of those, 695 were complaints alleging potential violations of access laws and 1,185 were inquiries.

 

The report covers the period of July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006. The annual report is now posted for review at www.in.gov/pac.Members of the public continued to lead the pack with access calls (946), followed by government officials (712), and the media (222). Both public and government queries increased from the prior year, while the media calls held almost steady.

About 56 percent of 219 formal advisory opinions documented one or more violations of the Open Door Law or Access to Public Records Act.

Calls about public records continue to be much more prevalent in Indiana than inquiries about public meetings. If a complainant prevails in court after receiving a favorable written opinion from the PAC, that person can receive attorney fees.

See the exclusive report of Indiana lawbreakers here.