They want the tape to clarify confusion about an address to which paramedics were dispatched. We know we're right, though, and if we are not successful in court, we will lobby the legislature to get the law changed. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in March that 911 tapes are public records and must be turned over to media upon request. The decision involved two requests from The Cincinnati Post and The Cincinnati Enquirer for 911 transcripts related to four murders. We learn from each other.
Members currently fight to set nominal fees for electronic records.
Nevertheless, he believes case law begins to support economical electronic access. His newspaper has an agreement with Montgomery County, Ohio, officials that allows reporters to tap directly into the county's database, easily determining, for instance, who bought a house and for how much. The situation remains unresolved. Sometimes an editorial or a series of stories will convince public officials to release records. After publishing a series on the case, The Mobile Register and several Florida papers pressed for documents released Feb. 16, nearly a year after a request.