The Public Records Officer Podcast

If you're a PRO who witnesses possible felony records destruction, you need to understand: the @atg.wa.gov
is not a safe reporting channel. They defend the agency, not the employee. Your report can be handed straight to leadership. Talk to your union or private counsel first. #waleg

If you’re a PRO in Washington, know this: You are not the client! The @atg.wa.gov response to a felony records-destruction report didn’t confirm an investigation, didn’t explain their procedure, and didn’t answer whether the law is enforced. Protect yourself. #waleg

The @atg.wa.gov was asked 3 Q's.
1️⃣ Did you investigate the alleged felony?
2️⃣ What is your procedure when a client agency is accused of a crime?
3️⃣ Does your silence signal that records-destruction won’t be enforced?

They chose evasion over answering. #waleg

Ep. 14 Get It Gone 2: The Bureaucracy Strikes Back In our last episode, we exposed the alleged destruction and withholding of public records inside OMWBE. This case was documented through emails, chats, and timeline…

Washington has a felony statute for destroying public records. Ep. 14 asks the obvious question: What if the
@atg.wa.gov simply chooses not to enforce it? Spoiler: you get retaliation, silence, and a system that protects the accused. #waleg tinyurl.com/mryv4dvj

The person who allegedly ordered the felony destruction of the public's records in response to a records request, now works at @wastatedes.bsky.social handling some rule making. In Washington, there are apparently no consequences except for those who did the right thing. #waleg

Receipts matter.
This is the real January 5, 2023 message sent inside OMWBE:

“What happens if someone is asked to delete some Teams posts… because of a records request?” #waleg

Ep. 13 Get It Gone Anatomy of a Records Crime What starts as a routine public records request at a small Washington agency detonates into one of the clearest documented cases of alleged records destruction in r…

This episode isn’t about confusion or poor training.
It’s about accountability and what happens to public servants who refuse to participate in a cover-up. Full transcript + source documents linked in the episode notes. #waleg tinyurl.com/55t72t86

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OMWBE’s own Public Records Officer documented the incident, reported it up the chain, and tried to uphold the law. Her reward? Months of obstruction, exclusion from decision-making, and what appears to be targeted retaliation, ending in a written reprimand. #waleg

In our latest episode, we shine a light on an allegation of felony records destruction inside Washington’s Office of Minority & Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE). A staff member says they were told to delete Teams posts because of a public records request.

Yes, really. #waleg

LA sheriff ducks journalist’s request for deputy photographs ICE won’t be the only secret police in town if the department gets its way

"The top brass at the LA Sheriff’s Department don’t want their deputies to be accountable to the public they serve. The Sheriff’s Department fights all Public Records Act cases," attorney @susanseager.bsky.social tells us about LASD's stonewalling of journalist @cerisecastle.bsky.social.

🔔 Public records-based reporting should be free. @404media.co and @wired.com are leading the way.

Hear why this is a public service and good for business, ft. @josephcox.bsky.social, @katie-drummond.bsky.social, Caitlin Vogus, and Lauren Harper.

🗓️ Oct. 29, 2 pm EDT

RSVP: freedom.press/unpaywalled

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Also in Ep 11, we chat with @washingtonstatestandard.com editor Bill Lucia about @governorferguson.bsky.social opaque approach to public relations out of the Governor's office. The Gov must do better. He owes the people a transparency administration. #waleg

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Retention isn't a vibe. It's a statutory obligation. Retention is based on the content and function of the record, not on the location or channel over which it is created or sent, and it's certainly not based on the convenience or lack thereof of those charged with executing the law. #waleg

The @oicwa.bsky.social PRO would later express some relief that @ssowersby.bsky.social did not request messages from the OIC's preferred IM system "Slack." One must wonder why 🤔 She also makes clear agency convenience should be the priority over the proper retention of the people's records #waleg

DCYF records show staff not searching Teams because the request didn't "specify" to do so. DOC doesn't search teams unless they are specifically asked. But if a requester asks for "all records" or "all communications," then all possible locations should be searched. #waleg

2 years into the 7 day auto-deletion of Teams chats and the Public Records Officer at @oicwa.bsky.social did not know how to hold those records. This points to pattern we discuss in Ep. 11 where agencies aren't dutifully searching all the places where records may exist. #waleg

@governorferguson.bsky.social ordered state agencies to stop auto-deleting their messages. Two days later, WaTech held a meeting to explain it. Someone asked if it would be recorded. WaTech's reply: “And make it discoverable? LOL.” Nothing funnier than covering up the public’s business. 🤷 #waleg

Free Press and the Committee to Protect Journalists Lead Brief in Support of Detained Journalist Mario Guevara The targeting, muzzling, detention and possible deportation of beloved journalist Mario Guevara is as legally unjust as it is a sign of the Trump administration’s censorship scheme.

We are proud to join this brief in support of journalist Mario Guevara, who faces imminent deportation to El Salvador for reporting the news.

If you were outraged about Jimmy Kimmel, you should be doubly outraged about this case.

We take the right’s hypocrisy on free speech to task in Ep. 9 of #ThePROP Why is it ok for Trump to call his fellow American’s fascist, Marxist, vermin, but if left leaning leaders use the same language it becomes an unforgivable sin? Get real. #waleg

FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who intends to monitor bias while wearing the president's bust as a lapel pin, is the poster child for why the Constitution bars the government from meddling in newsrooms' editorial decisions.
www.cbc.ca/news/worl...

Spoiler alert... the meeting was not recorded! Hilarious right? They make decisions about what you can and cannot see behind closed doors, then are all 🤷 "Wish we could do something for you." #waleg

The level of disdain WaTech, @governorferguson.bsky.social @wastateauditor.bsky.social, & @atg.wa.gov
have shown for Washington's transparency laws is laid bare all in this exchange. This is corruption. The culture of "Screw 'em if they don't like it" come across loud and clear. #waleg

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A staffer from @wastatedes.bsky.social asks if the meeting will be recorded. Angie Sherrer of WaTech answers "And have it be discoverable LOL. I'm not sure how to answer that question. 😊" #waleg

Cover Up much!!! One day after @governorferguson.bsky.social announces the suspension of the auto-deletion of Washington's public records, WaTech calls a meeting to discuss the matter with records and IT staff from across the executive branch. #waleg

Silly Jimmy Kimmel. He should have just called for all homeless people to be killed and he’d still have a job.

🚨 New Episode 🚨
Ep. 9 When Hypocrisy Makes You Vomit. Hypocrisy isn’t just annoying, it’s dangerous. This week we break down Brandi Kruse’s latest meltdown and her bigger game of silencing truth while enabling extremism. thepublicrecordsofficer.com
#ThePROP #waleg

Spivack talks with us about: The Obstruction Playbook: delay, deny, over-redact, “Transitory” as a bogus excuse to delete records, The honor system of open gov & why it fails, Where hope comes from in the fight for transparency. #Transparency isn’t a gift. It’s your right. #waleg #opengov

“Secrecy isn’t just about hiding documents it’s about shifting power away from the public.” -@mirandaspivack.bsky.social joined @ssowersby.bsky.social and I to discuss her excellent new book Backroom Deals In Our Backyards #waleg #transparency

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Even Brandi Kruse nailed it: “Lawmakers shouldn’t even freaking use the delete button. Shouldn’t be able to delete shit.” Transparency isn’t a partisan value. It’s a "small d" democratic value. #waleg #transparency #opengov #accountability

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Failure at WaTech isn’t an accident. It’s the habit. Somehow, that gets @governorferguson.bsky.social to reward Washington's CIO Bill Kehoe with his “full support.” #waleg #transparency #opengov #accountability