As a consequence of the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, state governments adopted their own regulations relating to government record transparency, and because of Missouri’s Sunshine Law, which was signed nearly half a century ago, citizens of Bates City can take advantage of transparency within their local government. These records contain names, times, information on incidences, sentences, procedures and more, and are all believed public unless otherwise stated. Both law enforcement and criminals may be held accountable for their actions as a consequence of these laws, which provide the citizenry with the tools they need to study issues outside of their authorities.