Dec. 22—Both the Open Meetings Act and Open Records Act of Oklahoma “allow the public to see what’s happening in government,” said Thomas Schneider, legal counselor at the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office.

During a seminar held at the Metro Technology Center Dec. 11, Schneider explained how each of the acts maintain “transparency in government ” and how public bodies can do their best to follow them.

The Open Records Act has both a public policy and public purpose, “it’s that special,” Schneider said.

According to the Oklahoma Constitution, “Oklahoma citizens have an ‘inherent right to know and be fully informed about their government.” This makes the purpose of this act to allow the public to access public records, “so they may efficiently and intelligently exercise their inherent political power,” he said.

So what is a public record and how does it apply to the City of Norman?

A record is public if it has been created or received under the authority of a public body and is in connection with the transaction of public business, expenditure of public funds and administration of public property. Public body exemptions are Judges, Justices, Council on Judicial Complaints, the Legislature and Legislators.

Examples of this include but are not limited to books, papers, photographs, microfilm, certain data files, computer tape, disks, records, sound or film recordings, video recordings, emails and text messages. Requests for these records must go through the public body.

According to Brenda Hall, Norman City Clerk, all records requests must go through her office.

“Once I receive the request, I forward it to the necessary department(s) to gather the information if I do not have it in my office. Once the information is received, I forward to the requesting party. If the request calls for emails or text messages, it takes a bit longer to get the information as our Legal Department has to review the emails before they are released just in case there may be confidential information that can’t be released,” Hall said in an email to the Transcript.

The clerk’s office has a document on their website that can be filled out or Hall also accepts phone calls and emails, she said.

“If the request can be answered electronically, no fee is charged to the requesting party. Paper copies are $.25 per page for the first 20 pages and then $.20 per page thereafter. Certified copies are $.50 per page,” she added.

In an effort to make requests more accessible to changing technology, the Norman Police Department receives requests electronically as well as in more traditional ways, said Sarah Schettler, public information officer for NPD.

“Individuals seeking police-related records can submit a records request online, by mail, email, fax, or in-person at the Norman Police Department. Further information on how to request police reports and records can also be found on our website,” she said.

Schettler said that there is “consistent and growing demand” for records requests. In 2023, the records division processed “more than 2,000 customer service contacts including 832 in-person contacts, 829 phone contacts, and 352 email contacts.”

She continued to say that anyone considering making a request should be as specific as possible.

“Relevant information can include the case number(s) associated, the date of interest, the location or address of interest, and the name as well as date of birth for involved parties. That being said, we understand there are instances when all of this information is not readily available. Records staff will follow-up with the requesting party to assist them with fulfilling the request in a timely manner if necessary elements are missing,” she said.

Requests for NPD can usually be processed within 48 hours, but in some cases such as records that require video redaction, audio redaction and photo processing, that request may take longer to fulfill, Schettler said.

She added that “all digital records requests (911 calls, photographs, and videos) require a deposit before the request can be processed. The fee schedule for records requests can be found online, and any associated payments/deposits can be made by phone or in-person.”

For anyone with questions about making a records request, Schettler recommends calling 405-366-5292, sending an email to rclerk@normanok.gov or visiting their website.