Common Cause Ohio joined co-sponsors and celebrated Sunshine Week hosting a webinar about Ohio’s Open Meeting and Open Records laws and tips on how to make a public records request.

Thank you to our wonderful panelists: 

• Natalie Fahmy, reporter at WCMH Columbus’ NBC 4 and president for the Ohio Radio and TV Correspondents Association at the Ohio Statehouse for the 136th General Assembly
• Fred Gittes, attorney & advocate for the Center for Media & Democracy
• Alan Johnson, retired Columbus Dispatch reporter

Click here for the webinar slides and here for the recording. 

Here are some good resources:

• • Ohio Sunshine Laws: An Open Government Resource Manual (Attorney General, 2024) 
  • Upcoming trainings on Sunshine Law by the Attorney General
  • Keep an Eye on Your Government: The Activist’s How-To-Guide on Ohio Public Records and Open Meetings Laws (ACLU, March 2025) 

• Ohio Supreme Court Opinion & Announcements Search
  • Ohio Supreme Court Public Docket Search
  • Ohio Supreme Court Case Search Guide 

• Court News Ohio
• Ohio Checkbook  (tracks state spending) 
• Ohio Channel  (hearings and sessions at the Statehouse and sessions of the Ohio Supreme Court)
• Ohio House & Ohio Senate plus lobbying info  
• Campaign contribution information & business filings are available on the Ohio Secretary of State’s site
• Ohio Court of Claims’ information about public records requests and the court’s role in mediation 

WE NEED YOUR HELP – TAKE ACTION!  

In December, the state legislature passed changes to Ohio’s Sunshine Law enabling police departments to charge up to $750 per record for bodycam footage.  This is truly an obstacle to understanding what happened in police interactions. 

Help us find out which police departments plan to charge the press and the public for bodycam footage, and which will not charge ( Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus Police Departments have already said they are not going to charge for body camera footage).

How to find out whether your police department is planning on charging for bodycam footage:

• Some information may be online. Google public records and your local Police Department to learn more. 
• Call your Police Department Public Records Department or assistance Hotline.
• Share what you learned by sending an email to inquiries@ofupac.org with “Body Camera” in the subject line. 

Special thanks to our co-sponsors:

Questions or problems with a records request? Send an email to cturcer@commoncause.org.  We can connect you with experts.