The police log is a public record

Mike lives in Hull and wants to start an online "newspaper" for his adopted town. Of course, any self-respecting newspaper will have a police blotter. But the Hull PD won't let him look at the police log. What's a budding newspaperman to do?

... The problem is, every time I go to the police station to ask for the info they give me the third degree. Like..."you tell us what you're looking for Buster and we'll see if we can find it." And "Gee, that will take awhile, why don't you come back in a month or so."

Now, I know they are giving this stuff to the mighty Hull Times on a regular *and* efficient basis since it appears in their print version every week. ...

I Am Not A Lawyer. However, as a former reporter who spent lots of time with police logs, I can say the police are screwing with you, Mike.

Police logs are public records, which is why the Times can look at them (they can be redacted for certain specific things, such as not jeopardizing ongoing investigations or revealing personnel information about public employees, but unless the Hull PD does things a lot differently than other police departments, that sort of info generally wouldn't show up in the log anyway). Legally, you aren't even required to tell the police why you want to see the logs.

Check out the Secretary of State's guide to the Public Records law - which includes a phone number to call to seek further advice or to lodge a complaint.

UPDATE: In a comment on Mike's site, Carpundit, who IS a lawyer, says police logs are covered by a separate law, MGL c.41 s.98F, which requires that they be made available to the public "during regular business hours and at all other reasonable times." He also suggests trying honey before vinegar when dealing with the constabulary.