Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel ordered the Sisters Park and Recreation District to produce records relating to the allegations made against a former lacrosse coach. Hummel reviewed the matter based on a petition filed by Mike Morgan. Morgan had requested the documents from the Park and Recreation District on July 21st of this year. On August 4th the Park and Recreation District denied Morgan’s request, citing the litigation and personnel exemptions contained in Oregon’s public records law. Hummel’s order, issued today, found these exemptions did not apply, and that even if they did, it was in the public interest to release the records because:
“These records relate to a person who formerly held two local elected positions (and currently holds one of these), was and is employed in a prominent senior administrative position for a local government, and was a youth coach for a sports team affiliated with a local public school district and local parks and recreation district. And the allegations contained in the requested records are serious in that they relate to allegations of mistreatment of minors.”
The complete version of the Order can be accessed here.
After issuing his Order, Hummel made this statement: “The governments’ business is the peoples’ business. Government officials should look for ways to produce records that are requested by the public and should deny public records requests rarely, and only when the law clearly requires the records to remain confidential. In this case, the exemptions cited by the Sisters Park and Recreation District did not apply, and even if they did, the records should have been released because of the significant public interest in the subject matter of the records and the positions of authority held by the subject of the investigation.”
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