The year before, the office responded to 325. Jack Turner, a Wichita lawyer who often requests public records to monitor local governments, said he wasn't surprised by the survey's results. While most government workers are helpful, Turner said, some are predisposed to keep government records a secret. A list of bills approved for payment by city councils. Records that detail total compensation for high school football coaches.
Crime reports from sheriff's offices.
The newspapers chose those records because they are open for public inspection under Kansas law and could be of interest to many citizens. More than half the public agencies asked for more personal information than the law requires citizens to disclose. More than half of the sheriff's offices asked both questions. Government agencies in Kansas can require that public records requests be put in writing, but they cannot require more than a name and address. Kansas Attorney General Carla Stovall said the survey suggests that many government workers lack a basic understanding of the open records law.