South Dakota state regulations determine that records documenting public decisions including court papers, police arrest records, marriage licenses, traffic infractions and more are open and offered to the public, largely as a result of the South Dakota Open Meetings Law. This legislation, itself in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act at the national level, offers Badger residents with information concerning instances of governmental intervention, including the names and addresses of those involved, the activities leading up an occurrence, effects and sentences passed down, and much more. Both regulators and offenders can be held responsible for their choices because of these laws, which give the populace with the resources they need to examine concerns separate from their government.