Our request to this elected office was narrowly tailored to the calendar, salary, expenses and staff within the office. Much like the various Clerks of Courts throughout the state we received a virtually identical boiler plate response from the Assessors asserting ‘Responsive documents in our possession are available for inspection and copying during regular business hours at our offices located at [FILL IN THE BLANK].’ This is no more of a response to our request for public records than it is a tactic being employed to set-up a defense for failing to provide the requested records. The position illustrated here is that if you wanted to see the documents all you must do is show up at our office and the records will be readily available.

Our requests for public records were sent while many Coroners were gathered at the Louisiana State Coroners Association meeting. Many of those in attendance openly discussed our public records request. Some dismissed us as some “conspiracy” because it had been circulated to so many Coroners in a short period of time. Some fired back with a boiler plate letter rambling on about public records law, citing irrelevant Attorney General opinions and claiming that the requests were “broad” and “unreasonably burdensome.” Many demanded a deposit, one office upwards of $7,000, in order to fulfill our requests.