Oregon state guidelines determine that records documenting public actions including court documents, police arrest records, marriage certificates, traffic transgressions and more are open and available for the general public, largely because of the Oregon Public Records Law. All pertinent details about the numerous happenings of police officers, municipal courts, and local government are incorporated into these records, and generally are believed public unless legally redacted. Due to these laws, locals of Scotts Mills can enjoy transparency in their government, which in turn encourages a free and open society in which the populace may hold both criminals and regulators alike responsible for their actions.