Police agencies with paper trails to no where
Is failing to document investigations any way to resolve criminal complaints?
PORT CLINTON — In the world of law enforcement, if it isn’t on paper, it didn’t happen.
That is the bedrock of Ohio’s Public Records Act. It requires public agencies to create and maintain records related to their mission and function for one primary reason: accountability. In every dispute, there are different versions of the truth; keeping records is aimed at keeping the record clean.
The trouble comes when agencies fall short of professional standards, leaving the public in the dark. We are currently witnessing a disturbing pattern of silence across four local agencies: the Huron and Oregon police departments, the Put-in-Bay police, and the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. In each case, victims have been left underserved and ignored while serious allegations vanish into a bureaucratic black hole.
We have reviewed the available case files for several recent investigations. The lack of documentation is a systemic failure:
