Alabama state laws determine that records recording municipal activities including court papers, arrest records, marriage licenses, vehicular transgressions and more are open and available for the populace, largely due to the Alabama Public Records Law of 1923. This law, itself in line with the Freedom of Information Act at the national level, gives Altoona people with information associated with cases of governmental involvement, including the names and addresses of those involved, the situations leading up an occurrence, results and sentences passed down, and more. These laws and regulations give the people of America, and Altoona, the ability to examine and understand their legal rights, the precedents that led to those rights, and whenever those rights are infringed on, which in turn leads to a more free and transparent society for everyone.